New amendments prohibit camping, off-leash dogs on conservation land-SOUTH COAST

[Sirloin]

VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – Changes to the public use of conservation lands is coming, which will affect how you are able to use them.
People will no longer be able to use these lands in the South Coast region for camping, campfires and off-leash dogs in the following wildlife management areas:


Bert Brink
Boundary Bay
Coquitlam River
Lhá:lt/Harrison-Chehalis
Pemberton Wetlands
Pitt-Addington Marsh
Roberts Bank
Serpentine
Skwelwil’em Squamish Estuary
South Arm Marshes
Sturgeon Bank


These changes come after amendments to the Wildlife Act Wildlife Management Area Use and Access Regulation.
Conservation-designated land is meant to preserve the land for wildlife and fish. The public is able to use these wildlife management areas for recreational use and scientific research.
According to the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, these amendments will not affect traditional First Nations titles to land or any practices on the land.

[RyoTHC]

And the ratchet tightens.

[upperleftcoaster]

will be interesting to see how they enforce this, especially all the dog walkers. I frequent a few of those spots with the pupper myself, so we will see how it goes. soon we will need permission to leave the house to go onto public land...

[whitlers]

Here we go yet again. Another example of a two sided regulation that doesn't effect certain group.

[limit time]

What the £uck ?! Found map.

[caddisguy]

What the £uck ?! Found map.

Where is the map? Curious to see the latest "unauthorized zones"

It's going to be like the hunger games soon.

[limit time]

Where is the map? Curious to see the latest "unauthorized zones"

It's going to be like the hunger games soon.

I just typed in the area I wanted to see and it took me to a government web site.

[Bugle M In]

will be interesting to see how they enforce this, especially all the dog walkers. I frequent a few of those spots with the pupper myself, so we will see how it goes. soon we will need permission to leave the house to go onto public land...

^^^^yes, yes and yes.

[elch jager]

Good luck enforcing that. It will need to be a pretty intimidating officer that gets me to show ID and accept a citation for running the pupper in the marsh.

[Liptugger]

All part of agenda 21, "keep the people off the land"

[Sirloin]

Don'y worry our lovely caretaking government will allow us out of our urban areas and cities for small doses of supervised nature experience, from 9am until 9pm, for a minor taxable fee. They always know best.

"annual visitation numbers estimated at 500,000 persons per year, 1,300 persons per day"

https://i.imgur.com/QVJxqTl.jpg

[ab3]

So, in theory does this mean no more hunting with a dog in the BB and Ladner marshes?

[Joegle]

I haven't seen it specifically say you can't hunt BB/Roberts bank/South Arm marsh... just says you can't camp, have fires, or off-leash dogs. Says still open for recreational activities? There'd be HUGE backlash here if that were the case.

But I guess it means you can't have your dog retrieve the ducks and geese?? So that's kind of a big deal.

[ab3]

I haven't seen it specifically say you can't hunt BB/Roberts bank/South Arm marsh... just says you can't camp, have fires, or off-leash dogs. Says still open for recreational activities? There'd be HUGE backlash here if that were the case.

But I guess it means you can't have your dog retrieve the ducks and geese?? So that's kind of a big deal.
That's what I'm wondering...is hunting with a dog (and allowing it off leash to retrieve-and hunt as well-still allowed?
It's seems awfully counterproductive to not allow the use of a dog to find downed and injured birds. If this new measure is meant to help wildlife having a dog along it find an injured bird is the quickest way to find and dispatch it. No dog equals lots of lost birds that spend the night waiting for the wild dogs (ie. Coyotes) to appear and finish them off.

[ab3]

...I know it is presently no off leash in the marshes outside of hunting season but that usually changes during hunting season. Obviously I would prefer to be able to run my dog out there outside of hunting season as well, but I understand that the present set up is a reasonable compromise, especially in the spring.

[Tactical Lever]

I haven't seen it specifically say you can't hunt BB/Roberts bank/South Arm marsh... just says you can't camp, have fires, or off-leash dogs. Says still open for recreational activities? There'd be HUGE backlash here if that were the case.

But I guess it means you can't have your dog retrieve the ducks and geese?? So that's kind of a big deal.

Just?! Camping having a fire, letting the dogs run and walking with a gun is the whole experience for me. Almost might as well stay home.


...I know it is presently no off leash in the marshes outside of hunting season but that usually changes during hunting season. Obviously I would prefer to be able to run my dog out there outside of hunting season as well, but I understand that the present set up is a reasonable compromise, especially in the spring.

What's reasonable about that? Whether it changes or not, it's just one more way outdoorsmen are being closed out.

[silveragent]

Just to clarify, yes using your dogs is still allowed when hunting. I posted this in the other thread talking about this amendment too. I emailed the South Coast Conservation Lands Manager and go this reply:


Thank you for your email. As mentioned in the News 1130 article to which you referred, the Wildlife Act Wildlife Management Area Use and Access Regulation (http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/24_2015) has been amended to include all 11 Wildlife Management Areas in schedules 1, 2, and 4 of the regulation. Schedule 4 states the following:

Dogs must be on leash in designated wildlife management areas
4 (1)A person commits an offence if the person enters a wildlife management area described in Schedule 4 with a dog that is not
(a)under the direct control of a person, and
(b)restrained by a leash not longer than 2 metres.
(2)This section does not apply to a person who enters the wildlife management area in order to engage in lawful hunting.


As stated by the regulation, the “dogs must be on leash” regulation does not apply to a person who enters the WMA in order to engage in lawful hunting. In other words, off leash dogs may continue to be used for hunting in south coast WMAs (e.g., Roberts Bank, Boundary Bay, South Arm Marshes, and Pitt-Addington Marsh WMAs)..

[elch jager]

Nowhere have I seen WHY they made this change...

Are dogs running wild and harassing wildlife?

or did some dog hating runner or bike rider write a passive aggressive letter complaining that they feel triggered seeing an off lease dog somewhere they think they should have exclusive say on usage.

There should be an amendment to that for the purposes of training a hunting dog. I drag/hide wings as well as throw a bumper when we do our circuit in the Pitt-Addington marsh. Not about to stop based on this new change.