Attention all resident hunters

[Scotty76]

Remember that public engagement earlier this year? Well it’s continuing soon, and it looks like resident hunters aren’t getting much of a seat at the table. Check out the invitee list, and also the “public consultation” company.. Alan Dolan, is the one who worked with the NDP last time with the grizzly closure. So yeah, time to again get involved. I hope everyone takes a few minutes and emails the contact at the end.. chris.hamilton@gov.bc.ca .. and ask why no resident hunter voice was an invitee to the table, and ask to be involved.
And just for fun, maybe email george.heyman.MLA@leg.bc.ca and push him more about listening to resident hunters and locals of B.C.

This is the article...




The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development is engaging with stakeholders, Indigenous communities and the public in an initiative we are calling Improving Wildlife Management and Habitat Conservation. Initial engagement on the initiative took place in 2018 through the Engage BC website and included face-to-face discussions and online discussions. Many of you would have participated in a session facilitated by the Fraser Basin Council in Vancouver in early April and others have provided submissions and letters via the Engage BC website. Others are invited because your organization was identified as having interests, tools and perspectives that could benefit the initiative.

The second phase of the initiative, which is intended to start in December 2018 and last until May 2019, is designed to include more detailed interactive discussions with stakeholders and to collaboratively develop policy options for government to consider. We have contracted Alan Dolan and Associates to facilitate and manage this process on our behalf.

The second phase will include an introductory webinar in December followed by a two-day workshop in January and then a series of topic-specific webinars. We hope that you (or a representative of your organization) will be able to join us for both the webinar and workshop. The Ministry is engaging directly with Indigenous groups through a parallel process. We are open to changes in this process through our discussions

The introductory webinar will take place on:

Wednesday December 12, 2018 10 am to 12 pm (sign-in details to follow)


The webinar will include representatives from a broad range of stakeholder groups including:

Academia and research
Agriculture
Energy and mining
Environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs), Conservation and wildlife
Forestry
Habitat conservation and land trusts
Hunters, trappers, and guides
Tourism and recreation

The purpose of the webinar is to provide background information on the Improving Wildlife Management and Habitat Conservation initiative and to gauge interest in the different policy areas. It will address what was heard during the initial engagement, will provide an overview of how we intend to conduct the second phase of the engagement process, and provide additional detail on the proposed policy areas for discussion.

The initial webinar will be followed by a two-day workshop in the Lower Mainland (tentatively scheduled for January 23-24, 2019). The workshop will involve facilitated, small-group discussions on wildlife and habitat policy issues of most relevance to stakeholders. Following the workshop, smaller working groups will meet via a series of additional webinars to dig deeper into different areas of policy interest. Additional face to face meetings will be added if required.
Additional background policy “primers” and call-in details will be sent out closer to the date of the webinar.

While the Province is engaged in this broad discussion on improving wildlife management and habitat conservation over the long term, the Ministry will continue to implement short-term strategies and continue important operational work on the ground.

If you are available to participate in the webinar and interested in our engagement, please RSVP to Chris Hamilton, Project Director for the Improving Wildlife and Habitat Conservation Initiative, at Chris.Hamilton@gov.bc.ca or at 250.213.9032. He would be pleased to discuss the process with and/or your staff in more detail and your feedback is welcomed at any time.

In the interests of transparency, we are including a list of the invitees below.

Sincerely,


Tom Ethier
Assistant Deputy Minister
Resource Stewardship Division

Academia and Research
• Pacific Wildlife Research Centre
• Biodiversity Centre for Wildlife Studies
• Centre for Wildlife Ecology at SFU
• British Columbia Bat Action Team

Agriculture
• BC Agriculture Council BCAC
• BC Cattlemen’s Association
• BC Fruit Growers Association

Energy and Mining
• Association for Mineral Exploration (AME)
• Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP)
• Canadian Energy and Pipeline Association (CEPA)
• Clean Energy BC
• Mining Association of BC (MABC)

ENGOs, Conservation and Wildlife
• Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society BC (CPAWS-BC)
• Conservation Northwest
• Organizing for Change – Tides Canada
• Sierra Club of BC
• SPCA BC
• UVic Environmental Law Centre
• West Coast Environmental Law
• Western Canada Wilderness Committee
• Wildsight
• Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
• Yellowstone to Yukon
• BC Chapter of Wildlife Society
• Biodiversity Centre for Wildlife Studies

Forestry
• BC Community Forest Association
• Council of Forest Industries (COFI)
• Federation of BC Woodlot Associations (FBCWA)
• Interior Lumber Manufacturers’ Association (ILMA)
• Private Forest Landholders Association (PFLA)
• Ancient Forest Alliance

[HarryToolips]

Am I missing something, it did say that the webinar will include people from a broad range of stakeholder groups including hunters and guides??? Though I wouldn't put it past the NDP government to purposely mettle with the process and exclude us...

[Glockenspiel]

Am I missing something, it did say that the webinar will include people from a broad range of stakeholder groups including hunters and guides??? Though I wouldn't put it past the NDP government to purposely mettle with the process and exclude us...

That is the whole purpose of this useless process: to eliminate hunting (and trapping). Another NDP snow-job. Perhaps Pamela and Miley will get invites to decide our future.

Glockenspiel

[walks with deer]

hmm bcwf/ wild sheep society...perhaps we need a hbc society....hmmm

[sakohunter]

These types of consultation processes are exactly how the hunters of BC are getting told what we can be involved in. The other invitees would prefer if we are not at the table. Makes land and wildlife conservation easier to manage.

[CranePete]

Funny...I don’t see BCWF, RMEF, DU, WSS or GOABC on the list

[boxhitch]

List makes it look like the BC hunters didn't get engaged in the process from the start, RH's or GO's
Hope this is an oversight

[Jelvis]

good luck hunters on your quests I think the problem with getting a seat or a say isn't the hunting part so much -- some groups don't like guns etc
-- soon as a gun is mentioned or the rep shows aggression people think -- leave the guns out of it -- and this is hard to do for hunters and others
---- because hunters use guns and bows to kill thee animals -- people know that already --

Jel -- hunters need a rep who isn't angry or loses his or her temper -- must be in control of them selves and tell their story with controlled understandable reasoning --

[northernguy]

judging by the list of those invited, I would suggest the outcome has been predetermined and the Government is simply seeking "validation" of their agenda.

[Rackmastr]

judging by the list of those invited, I would suggest the outcome has been predetermined and the Government is simply seeking "validation" of their agenda.

Seems like the SOP for any government consultation process.