When it comes to the Club’s voluntary caribou closures, the most important thing to note is that non-compliance could result in the expansion of current closure areas or the permanent closure of entire mountains.
Revelstoke Snowmobile Club’s involvement with mountain caribou recovery dates back almost four decades. Beginning in the mid-1980s at Frisby Ridge, the Club has been at the forefront of local caribou recovery initiatives. This includes holding a Management Agreement with the Ministry of Environment to demonstrate our commitment to preserving wildlife. You can read more about the agreement here.
Establishing a Management Agreement for Frisby Ridge wasn’t easy. The Club’s initial permit application was rejected, with The Ministry sighting their intention to close Frisby Ridge to all snowmobiles for the protection of the Caribou.
Knowing this was something worth fighting for, the Club proposed a solution that would include a voluntary partial closure to protect critical habitat for mountain caribou and keep the rest of Frisby open for snowmobiles.
With the proposed solution ticking all the boxes (mostly because of the proposed voluntary closure), the permit was eventually granted, provided the voluntary closures are advertised, maintained, and enforced by volunteer members organized by the Club.
The closure takes place on the Eastern, lake-facing side of the ridge from January 1 to April 15 every year. Given that it’s something we enforce and maintain, it’s more difficult for the Government to expand. If we respect it, we should be able to keep what we currently have. Read about the positive results from the Sicamous Eagle Valley Snowmobile Club’s voluntary closure here.
To maintain the closure, we’ve adopted the British Columbia Snowmobile Federations SnowPatrol initiative and adjusted it to suit our needs. Volunteer Club members and Directors patrol the closure by reporting wildlife tracks, sightings, snowmobiler non-compliance, and of course, helping anybody who may be in a sticky situation.
We also encourage everyone to do their part by removing snow from the boundary signs. You can also report any missing or broken signs to staff, and complete the Caribou Snowmobile Patrol form if you see a caribou or any incidents of non-compliance on Frisby.
It took a lot of work for us to have the access that we have today. We don’t want to lose it, so we must work together.
We sled too and completely understand the strong temptation to enter snowmobile closure areas where snow remains untouched, but it’s never worth it.
Snowmobiling is a large part of our town’s identity and its economy, and we ask that you do your part to protect it for the future.
Caribou Closures are in effect from Jan 1 to April 15 on Frisby Ridge, Sale Mountain, and Keystone & Standard Basins.
Non-compliance could result in entire mountain closures. Please obey and respect all wildlife closures.
Updated maps are available in the latest edition of our Sledder Guide and clearly outline the closed areas.
To learn more about the Government’s decisions behind closures and how they affect snowmobiling, watch this video on our YouTube page.
