Monthly Archives: December 2023

Horsefly River Roundtable
Box 354
Horsefly BC
V0L 1L0

www.horseflyriver.ca
Find us on Facebook@
Horsefly River Roundtable

December 4, 2023

Josh Pressey
Regional Executive Director
Regional Operations Cariboo
Ministry of Forests
200-640 Borland Street
Williams Lake BC
V2G 4T1

Dear Mr. Pressey,

On April 20th, 2023 the Horsefly River Roundtable sent you a letter requesting a
moratorium on industrial forest activities in the Horsefly River Watershed. The letter
detailed eight reasons for this request and a following eight initiatives we felt should be
implemented as soon as possible. To date we have not received a reply or rebuttal of
any description from your department.

On June 7, 2018, your predecessor declared in an Order that the Horsefly River
Watershed, FR-5-001, is a Fisheries Sensitive Watershed. The Order outlined a set of
principles and practices to be followed in order to maintain natural hydrological
conditions to protect fish habitat for Sockeye, Kokanee, Chinook and Coho salmon,
Bull and Rainbow trout and other fish species.

The Horsefly River Roundtable embraced the announcement and looked forward to
improvement of water quality, ultimate protection of naturally functioning ecosystems
and an end to the continued degradation caused by industrial forest operations within
the Horsefly River Watershed.

Horsefly River Roundtable and our stakeholders continue to observe a marked
decrease of water quality caused by increased siltation and degradation of the land
base within the Horsefly River watershed. It appears harvesting pressure continues to
accelerate, without any regard for the legal objectives of Order FR-5-001 and no clear
plan for how those objectives are being, or will be met. We would appreciate a
response to our concerns outlined in the April 20th letter as it appears that the Order is
being completely ignored.

The Horsefly River Roundtable is a non-profit society formed in 2007 and made up of
stakeholders from government, First Nations, industry and the public

Horsefly River Roundtable
Box 354
Horsefly BC
V0L 1L0

www.horseflyriver.ca
Find us on Facebook@
Horsefly River Roundtable

Sincerely,
Original Signed
Hard copy mailed Dec 9 2023
Brian Englund
Horsefly River Roundtable Chair

CC: Northern Shuswap Tribal Council, Xatsul First Nation, Williams Lake First Nation,
Esketemc First Nation, Nskonlith Indian Band, Whispering Pines Clinton Indian Band,
Canim Lake Band, Tyler Thibault, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Lorne
Doerkson, LA, Todd Doherty, MP, Coral Oakes, MLA, BC Premier David Eby, Sonia
Furstenau, Green Party, Mike Cullen and Minister Nathan Cullen, Ministry of Water,
Land and Resource Stewardship, and Michael Lee and Ministry Murray Rankin,
Minister of Indigenous Relations and REcondilliation, Jordan Sturdy and Kelly Greene,
Parliamentary Secretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Fin Donnely, Parliamentary
Secretary for Watershed Restoration, Renee Marrifield and Minister George Heyman,
Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, Canadian Wildlife Federation,
Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Forests District Manager, Harold Stolar, Chief
Forester, Shane Berg, Association of Forest Professionals, CEO, Christine Gelowitz,
Forest Practices Board, Tolko, West Fraser, BCTS, Stuart Maitland, Joe Morhart, Len
Teppema, West Coast Environmental Law, Maureen Lebourdais, Cariboo Regional
District Area F Director, Horsefly Board of Trade, SAWS, Women’s Institute, Horsefly
Community Club, Miocene Community Club, HVFD AOTF, Scout Island

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