MOTOR VEHICLE CLOSED AREA
Extract from information provided by Government to the Grand Forks Gazette in 1997 as the closures
were about to be implemented:
"The Habitat Program is concerned that activities associated with ongoing forest development be
mitigated such that anynegative effects on grizzly bear and their habitats are minimized.
That concern centers on the need to
maintain temporal and physical isolation of grizzly bears from human intrusion; to maintain habita use patterns; reduce the
possibility of direct human-caused bear mortality (poaching or accidental death); and to lessen the likelihood of human interaction
leading to human/bear conflict (ie.human defense kills) and/or habituation with humans (ie. campsite raids).
This proposal is
to partially mitigate the negative and cumulative
effects of impending road access due to timber harvesting on grizzly
habitat in the
Kettle-Granby drainages. Grizzly bears in wilderness
situations are likely to become negatively associated with open roads
and
development activity and therefore may be displaced from
important habitat where roads and/or frequent human activity occurs.
An eventual
“band” of forest development around the Granby Park may
act as a barrier to elevational movement and may force bears to
remain within
the park boundaries, effectively reducing their
currently available habitat area.
The areas proposed for vehicle restriction are
adjacent to the new
Granby Park and are relatively inaccessible to motor vehicles at
present. Exceptions are the Lightning Peak
area; and the recently
road construction will occur in virtually every watershed surrounding
the Granby Park over the next few
years. This proposal proactively
addresses maintenance of the bear’s physical isolation from human
influence while permitting
legitimate commercial use of timber and
mineral resources."