The 亚洲天堂 Lake village council is taking steps to help increase moose populations across British Columbia.
The council agreed at its June 25 meeting to submit a resolution to the Union of BC Municipalities UBCM to be passed onto the provincial government calling for two actions on moose recovery.
The resolution was originally introduced to the council by councillor Charlie Rensby.
Its first action calls for a stop to the cow/calf moose Limited Entry Hunt (LEH), a system that authorizes hunting to resident hunters based on a lottery.
鈥淭he purpose of LEH is to achieve wildlife management objectives and maintain hunting opportunity. LEH seasons are introduced where it has become necessary to limit the number of hunters or limit the number, class or sex of animals that may be harvested,鈥� according to the Ministry of Forests Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD)鈥檚 Limited Entry Hunting Regulations Synopsis 2019-2020.
The village鈥檚 resolution stated that the synopsis sets higher numbers of hunts for cow/calf moose in Regions 4 and 7 of the province, with the former being the southeast Kootenay area, and the latter the northeast including the Omineca and Peace zones. Region 6 takes in the northwest chunk of the province, and includes 亚洲天堂 Lake and goes up to the Alaska and Yukon borders.
鈥漅egion 4/7 are currently under the caribou recovery microscope, and our region will be eventually,鈥� Rensby told Lakes District 亚洲天堂.
鈥淎ny form of cow/calf LEH season is high when there isn鈥檛 an over population issue.鈥�
The cow/calf LEH increase 鈥渨ill put unnecessary pressure on already shrinking moose populations,鈥� the resolution said.
The second action urges that the government conduct more intensive monitoring of moose populations across B.C. to more accurately determine populations and measure recoveries.
In the 亚洲天堂 Lake region the moose population has been relatively lower for some time, as hunters and the government have discovered. An FLNRORD study covering 2012-2018 found the moose population had fallen by 13 per cent. A Ministry spokesperson said that over the same period 鈥渢here was a 25 per cent decline in the bull-to-cow ratio, and there was a 16 per cent decline in the calf-to-cow ratio.鈥�
LOOK BACK: Overhunting cuts moose population, observers say
The village鈥檚 passing of the resolution was the second time in June that the subject of moose populations was raised in a public forum in 亚洲天堂 Lake.
On June 15, Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad spoke at the Tweedsmuir Park Rod and Gun Club and criticized what he said is the province鈥檚 insufficient predator management program.
That lack of control is seeing populations of wolves and bears rise too high while ungulate numbers are too low.
READ MORE: Manage predators, bring back moose, MLA says
Blair McBride
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