Quesnel Highlands Management Society What Where and Why?

What:

The Quesnel Highlands Management Society (QHMS) is a group of snowmobile clubs united in addressing Mountain Caribou recovery issues and concerns directly involving mountain snowmobiling. Management planning is done in partnership with the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management (MSRM) and the ministry of Water Land and Air Protection (WLAP) in the Williams Lake regional office.

Mission Statement:

The Quesnel Highlands Management Society is committed to maintaining and expanding mountain snowmobile riding areas within the Quesnel Highlands at a level that reasonably falls within a mountain caribou recovery objective.

Direction:

The Quesnel Highlands Management Society is committed to mountain caribou recovery guidelines and will implement objective / reasonable measures to meet these recovery goals within its means. The Quesnel Highlands Management Society is committed to maintaining currently accepted snowmobiling areas and expanding mountain snowmobile-riding areas within the Quesnel Highlands as information indicates this can be done reasonably and still fall within mountain caribou recovery objectives.

Where:

The Quesnel Highlands is an area extending from Wells-Barkerville in the north to 100 Mile House in the south. This high elevation area borders the Caribou and Wells Grey Parks. Areas such as Ground Hog Lake, Yanks Peak, Cameron Ridge, Bill Miner, Eureka Peaks and Mica Mountain snowmobile areas all fall within this geographical area. Refer to the accompanying maps for more detail.

Why:

As of the year 2000, Mountain Caribou were officially designated as being a red listed species. There are less than 2000 mountain cariboo remaining and 98% of these mammals reside in mountainess regions of central and eastern British Columbia. These mammals are considered of being endanger of disappearing in parts of BC and thus the BC government has intuited a mountain caribou recovery program. Federally the Mountain Caribou recovery efforts are over seen by the newly created Species at Risk Act.

The Mountain Caribou Strategy focus on three areas of concern in an effort to stabilize mountain caribou populations within the Quesnel Highlands. These three areas are predator control, habitat alteration and access management. Mountain snowmobiling being the primary area of concern within the access management portion of the Mountain Caribou Strategy report. All mountain snowmobiling in the Central Interior, going east of Williams Lake, Quesnel and 100 Mile House is done within what is designated as critical mountain caribou habitat.

The Quesnel Highlands Management Society was formed to address issues related to mountain caribou/mountain snowmobile concerns and do our part in managing this area thru signage programs snow patrol and information programs. All these things are focused on maintaining important snowmobile areas while responsibly meeting mountain caribou recovery management goals.

Negations:

The Quesnel Highlands Management Society will endeavor to negotiate and participate from an informed and objective postion. The QHMS fully supports the provincial government's directive to implant a management plan that insures the best possible chances of mountain caribou recovery. The QHMS will bargain in good faith and purse a course deemed realistic and supportable while striving to maintain sufficient snowmobile areas to keep our sport viable within mountain caribou recovery guidelines. This in turn will insure the continued social and economic benefits this sport brings to individuals and their respective communities.

A willingness to participate in objective / realistic management practices encourages stakeholder participation and a working partnership that raises compliance levels to an area that all parties will feel is "acceptable".

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