Late summer 2014, I visited a section of Eholt creek with Barry
Brandow of Grand Forks. The area of concern is a farm property a few kilometers
east of Greenwood where Eholt Creek meanders through the property for more than
a kilometer.
Because of a lack of riparian fencing various farm animals
access the creek with resultant damage to the stream, stream banks and water
quality. A couple of Youtube videos illustrate the problem and the damage.
check your youtube settings to get best quality of 720p
For this writer, the visit brought on a sense of déjà vu as
the location was similar in many ways to properties in the Fraser Valley where
the writer was extensively involved in stream protection initiatives and work
more than 20 years ago.
Then as now, protection of streams and other public
resources is largely dependent on the complaints and noise created by a
concerned public. Then as now, various levels of Government have failed to
effectively address and prevent damage and through various permit granting
functions are frequently continuing to contribute to the damage.
The Kettle River Watershed Management Plan that has been
underway for four or more years appears to offer no effective solutions for
stopping such damage.
More on the KRWMP in a future posting,
A pdf version with more pictures is available at our website:
