Range area along the Okanagan Connector to be audited

The Forest Practices Board will be auditing the range planning and practices for an area between Kelowna and Merritt.

The five-day field audit of the Douglas Lake Cattle Company will cover an area of more than 200,000 hectares of Crown range, where more than 7,000 head of livestock are authorized to graze, in the highlands north and south of Highway 97C, also known as the Okanagan Connector.

The audit will ensure activities are in compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act, such as adhering to range-use plan, ensuring riparian areas, fish habitat and upland areas are protected, and maintaining range development such as fencing.

The ranch, founded in 1884, has the largest cow-calf operation in B.C., with animals grazing on bunchgrass, Interior Douglas fir, Montane spruce and Engelmann spruce.

The audit will begin Monday, August 19, and once complete a report will be prepared. Any party that may be impacted by the audit’s findings will have a chance to respond to the initial report.

A final report and recommendations will then be drawn up, and once complete it will be released to the public and provincial government.

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