My Google Earth mapping of nests and more

Breeding bird species at risk on Skookumchuck Prairie KBA (orange outline)

 Here is a map of documented nest trees, breeding territories, and nests of Lewis' Woodpecker (Threatened, SARA) (Blue, BC), Long-billed Curlew (Special Concern, SARA (Blue, BC), and American Kestrel on Skookumchuck Prairie KBA.  There are more nests than this - we just haven't found them.

The orange in the middle - between the Lewis' Woodpecker pins (green trees) and Long-billed Curlew pins (red and yellow pins) - is the crown land being requested for solar farms.  See previous post.

 

BC utility-scale solar farms - where to put them.

There's no need to cover up natural land with solar panels.  Ecologically functioning land should be maintained as it is or even enhanced so it can keep contributing to mitigating the climate crisis.  There are plenty of human-impacted places and structures where solar panels can go.

This is about solar farms in British Columbia.

A crown land tenure is being requested with the ultimate goal of building a large solar farm on ecologically valuable land.

Please read below.

This is for Solar.  The Gov't doesn't have a category for solar yet so companies have to submit under "Wind".

Also Note the pin on the map doesn't represent the right place.  Because the parcels they want stretch from Elko to Skookumchuck - so the pin gets put in the middle between them.

If you scroll down on the Application Details on the left you will see a map of the parcels.

You can submit comments to the BC Government on this tenure application at: 

https://comment.nrs.gov.bc.ca/applications?clidDtid=4406427&id=6529b28b646c73002270b4ab#details

BC Government – Applications, Comments & Reasons for Decision 

Crown land file #4406427 

Comment by December 3, 2023 

If you feel you can’t comment right now for whatever reason.  No worries.  In future, please keep an eye on this issue because it won’t be going away.  Thanks for reading!

Background information: 

https://www.rockymountainnaturalists.org/rmn-projects--issues/communique-industrial-scale-solar-in-the-east-kootenay

A few years ago, the attention of renewable energy companies turned to the wide-open spaces in the East Kootenay Valley.  Their intent was to start the development process for large-scale utility-grade solar farms.  That’s great! Right!?  If we’re going to wean ourselves off fossil fuels, we’re going to need more electricity from renewable sources. 

The problem:  SOME of them wanted to ruin ecologically valuable grassland like at Skookumchuck Prairie Important Bird Area.  And they wanted rangeland.  They would take land that is currently helping slow the rate of climate change, maintaining biodiversity, turn it into electricity … and call that green. 

After it was pointed out by MANY groups and people, how hypocritical that was because of this land’s ecological importance, SOME of the land grant requests were turned down by the BC Government.  Fortunately, development has NOT progressed on the natural land that WAS granted, but UNFORTUNATELY the BC Government STILL HAS NOT formalized any policies - guidelines - laws to make sure large-scale solar development is done ecologically responsibly in British Columbia.

An example of responsible development is the Sun Mine in Kimberley which is on old Cominco land heavily impacted by ore milling activities related to the Sullivan Mine.

Anyway, they’re at it again – the development companies; well, one development company again SO FAR.  They’re trying to get the cheapest land they can, of course, in proximity to existing power lines and roads.

But the land they have chose is: 

·         critical habitat for many species at risk, deer, elk, badgers, etc., 

·         critical grazing for cattle 

·         natural carbon sinks 

·         part of the most endangered ecosystem in the world - temperate grassland - more endangered than Amazon rainforest and tropical reefs (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) 

As many of you know, I am the volunteer caretaker of Skookumchuck Prairie Key Biodiversity Area.  I have spent a lot of time there, at my own expense, documenting the Lewis’ Woodpeckers – a Threatened species and a very cool bird.  In the past eight years, I have found 63 nests and four dozen nesting trees.  It’s probably the densest breeding population of Lewis’ in Canada.  I have submitted the data to the Provincial database (not an easy task) to try to make sure lawmakers know about it.  In all that time, only one government biologist has ever come out to see my discoveries (a two-hour field trip).  A sad situation. 

This time, the developer wants even more land on Skookumchuck Prairie – in the Lewis’ Woodpecker area AND the Long-billed Curlew nesting habitat.  I have done volunteer work on Curlew too – helping put solar satellite tags on them and tracking their movements.  That work was done by Bird Studies Canada.  Unfortunately, the area has almost NO conservation protection recognized by the federal or provincial governments.

 

Me releasing "Mildred" who had a white leg flag with the letters "AA".
Her mate had letters "AX", named "Solar".

It doesn’t make sense to me. Solar panels can be placed on roof tops, parking lots, old mine sites, in old gravel pits, on man-made reservoirs, squeezed in along freeways, etc., etc.  There is no need to put solar farms on natural, ecologically functioning land. 

So, if avoiding wrecking sensitive ecosystems makes sense to you too, please submit your comments and concerns to the BC Lands Branch so that we can once again steer these companies away from destructive practices.

And urge the government to responsibly develop solar technology for net ecological benefit.  Nip this in the bud NOW.  The pressure on natural lands is only going to get worse unless Government steps up and says NO. 

In all of British Columbia, the East Kootenay has the highest levels of solar irradiance, so WE are the testing ground for developing solar farms in BC – but this affects EVERYBODY.  Are we going to do it responsibly?  We’ve already flooded thousands of hectares of grassland for hydro (the Libby Dam for power to the US).  Are we willing to wreck some more here?  WE are the government, ultimately, so it’s up to us – "tuum est". 

Go to the link above by December 3, 2023, to submit your comment.  I have provided some examples of concerns you might agree with which you can copy/paste.  Or check out the online info communique I wrote (see link above) for more information about this particular development plan. 

 

Some examples of things you can say: 

·         The solar farms would need to be fenced off for security and fire protection.  This means: 

o    Loss of winter ungulate range for the elk and deer 

o    Loss of high-value rangeland for local cattle ranches 

o    Loss of habitat for species at risk that are dependent on grassland and open pine forest 

o    Severe costs to protecting those facilities from wildfires and prescribed burning done for ecological restoration 

·         solar irradiance can be measured from satellite, so there is no need for crown land usage for this purpose 

·         portions of this request were previously disallowed, and we believe that decision should be upheld

·         “The area selected is within an endangered grassland ecosystem which is being actively managed and restored.  This ecosystem provides critical habitat for ungulates (primarily elk) and species at risk and is an important cattle grazing area.  The government and organized groups have spent approx. $14 Million dollars on ecosystem restoration in the Rocky Mountain Trench …” (Lands Branch, Reason for Decision, ca. 2017, Crown land file #4405732) 

 

·       Parcels requested are on Skookumchuck Prairie Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) – an area recognized internationally as necessary for maintaining global biodiversity. 

o    Examples of impacts: 

§  elk and deer would be impacted through loss of habitat, particularly ungulate winter range 

§  Lewis’ Woodpecker would be impacted through loss of feeding habitat, loss of nesting trees, and alteration to the microclimate affecting the free-flying insects they feed on 

§  Lewis’ Woodpecker would be impacted by human activity during construction and maintenance of solar farms 

§  Long-billed Curlew would be impacted by loss of habitat for nesting, brood-rearing, and pre-migration staging and by human activity during construction and maintenance of solar farms 

 

o    Statistics about Skookumchuck Prairie: 

§  Twelve breeding territories of species-at-risk Long-billed Curlew occur on the parcels requested 

§  Sixteen nest trees of species-at-risk Lewis’ Woodpecker occur on parcels requested.  This is the densest breeding colony of Lewis’ Woodpecker in Canada 

§  70 % of the bird species found in the East Kootenay are also in the Skookumchuck Prairie KBA making it the richest bird area per hectare in the Region.  227 species have been documented (see website: eBird).

 

·         Other points 

• Utility-scale solar plants are an industrial use incompatible with our objectives for managing our agricultural rangelands and natural ecosystems.

• The parcels encompass or directly impact 6 Wildlife Habitat Areas (BC Ministry of Forests designation), for Long-billed Curlew, antelope bitter-brush, endangered Williamson’s Sapsucker, and endangered American Badger.

• Solar panels can be placed on roof tops, parking lots, old mine sites, in old gravel pits, on man-made reservoirs, squeezed in along freeways, etc., etc. There is no need to put solar farms on natural, ecologically functioning land.

• The Province of BC needs to develop and implement policies and guidelines for the responsible placement of solar technology including identifying places where large-scale utility-grade solar farms can be placed so that areas that are ecologically valuable can continue to contribute to slowing climate change

  

Thanks everyone!  Take care!

Dianne Cooper

volunteer caretaker, Skookumchuck Prairie KBA

Kimberley, BC