Why Merritt closed the backcountry and no one else will

The City of Merritt cited extreme wildfire danger in its decision to ban public access to forested areas around the town, but other Thompson-Okanagan cities facing the same tinderbox conditions won’t be following suit.

From Kamloops to the South Okanagan, every local government iNFOnews.ca spoke to said it wouldn’t be restricting access to parks and other forested areas within its boundaries regardless of the dry conditions.

Kamloops councillor Bill Sarai said the city followed the advice of its fire chief, who hadn’t recommended such a closure. 

“If we have active people going in the park, we have eyes and ears on anything that is out of the ordinary, whether it’s a plume of smoke, or if there’s actually a fire,” he said.

Sarai said the city also didn’t have the manpower to enforce such a ban.

“Our best bet is let’s rely on our residents, responsible residents, that are using the park for the purpose that they’re meant for, to be our eyes and ears,” he said.

City of Merritt Mayor Michael Goetz acknowledged the bylaw was unenforceable but said it still had value.

“It makes people think twice,” Goetz said. “It just plants the seed in someone’s mind: Do I really want to be responsible for burning down someone’s community?”

Mayor Goetz said the bylaw was brought in on the advice of the fire chief, noting the city is at drought level five and going into level four water restrictions.

“We know the trails and everything are valued by the community, but at some point you have to have a modicum of safety out there, and that’s what we’re doing,” he said.

Goetz asked the province for a complete backcountry ban a couple of weeks ago.

“I think we need to be as prudent as possible and stay out of the backwoods until things get better,” he said.

So far, the only provincial restriction in place is a ban on off-road vehicles in the backcountry, which was brought in Aug. 10.

It’s unclear if anyone has been reprimanded for breaching the ban, but the Okanagan Forest Task Force is calling out the province and the RCMP for not acting on an illegal encampment at the Postill Lake area of Kelowna where it saw someone driving a quad.

“We are fed up with living under a shadow of perpetual fear due to the public safety risks these encampments pose, while they continue to remain and operate illegally on Crown Land in close proximity to our homes and communities,” the Okanagan Forest Task Force said in an open letter to Premier David Eby.

The BC Wildlife Federation’s also calling for a complete ban on people and vehicles in the backcountry while the fire risks are so high.

However, the province defended its position not to bring in wider bans.

“The BC Wildfire Service is targeting the highest-risk activities in the backcountry to reduce the risk of accidental human-caused fire starts. Further, we are targeting the highest-risk regions in order to minimize impacts to people’s activities in most of the province,” a statement from the Ministry of Forests said. 

The ministry also said people in the backcountry can be pivotal in spotting and reporting new wildfires.

“However, being in the backcountry is risky right now as it could be challenging for the BC Wildfire Service to rescue you if you are caught in a wildfire,” the ministry said.

The Regional District of Central Okanagan manages 30 regional parks and 20 community parks, including the Mission Creek Regional Park and Gallagher’s Canyon, which have seen wildfires in recent years.

However, it wouldn’t be bringing in restrictions. 

“While the RDCO understands the concern that comes with elevated fire danger ratings, we take a proactive and evidence-based approach to reducing that risk,” the Regional District of Central Okanagan said in a statement.

The Regional District said it undertakes wildfire fuel modification in priority areas.

Like others, it also said that people using the parks help keep an eye on them.

“This approach helps balance public safety, wildfire prevention, and continued access to the region’s valued parks and natural spaces,” the statement read.

As for other Okanagan cities, both Penticton and Vernon said they would not be bringing in restrictions. 

“Given the geographical borders of the City of Penticton, we don’t have any backcountry,” a statement from the City of Penticton said. 

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen borders Penticton but said it wouldn’t be bringing in restrictions, but had words of advice.

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen borders Penticton and said it wouldn’t be bringing in restrictions, but encouraged people to use extreme caution and to stay out of the backcountry if they can. 

The City of Kelowna did not respond by deadline.