Protect Bridge Lake

If the Bridge Lake land swap goes forward, the developer will acquire a portion of the protected shoreline, worth over $4 million, in exchange for an island on the lake worth barely a quarter of that sum, in clear contravention of the Official Community Plan and the Ministry's own guidelines.

: Photo: Friends of Bridge Lake

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations has offered 18 hectares of protected Crown Reserve land in the Cariboo to a developer for a subdivision as part of a land exchange. Your help is needed urgently to protect a safe haven for wildlife and cherished recreation opportunity on Bridge Lake.

The Ministry's Williams Lake office is likely to apply for an Order in Council to seek the removal of the Crown Reserve designation in the upcoming months.

Bridge Lake is one of the largest lakes in an area known as “the Fishing Highway,” east of 100 Mile House. A portion of its forested shore, home to loons, grebes, otter and mink, was set aside in 1945 as a protected Crown Reserve and is used for recreation by locals and visitors.

If this land swap goes forward, the developer will acquire a portion of the protected shoreline, worth over $ 4 million, in exchange for an island on the lake worth barely a quarter of that sum, in clear contravention of the Official Community Plan and the Ministry's own guidelines.

Please take a minute to write to Premier Christy Clark and members of the Cabinet. For more information visit Friends of Bridge Lake.

Your letter will be sent to the following people:

Mr. Norm MacDonald (NDP Critic)
Minister Stephanie Cadieux
Minister Blair Lekstrom
Minister Mary Polak
Minister Michael de Jong
Minister Rich Coleman
Minister Don McRae
Minister Pat Bell
Minister Mary McNeil
Minister Ida Chong
Minister Shirley Bond
Minister Margaret McDiarmid
Minister George Abbott
Minister Terry Lake
Minister Naomi Yamamoto
Premier Christy Clark
Minister Steve Thomson

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I am very concerned about the proposed land exchange at Bridge Lake in the Cariboo.

In 1945, your predecessors showed great foresight in protecting a portion of Bridge Lake’s forested shore as a Crown Reserve. Today, it is a cherished recreation spot for both local people and visitors.

Bridge Lake is already one of the B.C.’s most developed lakes, with over two thirds of the lake’s perimeter in private hands and zoned residential. Only  two larger parcels of Crown Land remain today, one of which will be cut into three pieces by this application. This Crown Land is an important mule deer and moose winter refuge. The nearly 2.5 km of undisturbed shoreline are home to beaver, otter and mink, are active nesting areas for loons, geese and ducks and give shade and protection to the various species of fish in the lake, but especially the endangered lake trout species of Bridge Lake. By cutting up this piece of Crown Land for further development, an important wild life breeding ground and year-round travel corridor will be destroyed forever.

This is not just a local issue. If this exchange goes through it will negatively impact Bridge Lake while providing considerable financial gain to the developer - at the expense of prime habitat and the public purse.  It will set a precedent and put at risk all Crown Land and Crown Reserves in the Province.

I urge you to honour the commitment to protect this land.

Sincerely,

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Protect Bridge Lake

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