A short story with pictures that showcases a current example of the sorry state of range management on the Gilpin Grasslands.
Approximately 50 cows have been allowed to crop the grass to ground level in the Gilpin Grassland Class A provincial park immediately adjacent to Highway #3; a November cow range!
There are two parts to the story.
Range staff has made no attempt to move the cows even though their presence has been clearly visible to the driving public for a good five weeks.
The cows have destroyed a habitat enhancement project within a small fenced area constructed to exclude cows from Gilpin Creek adjacent to the Boothman Ranch house site.
Subsequent to the fence deciduous tree saplings were planted either side of the creek within the closure. White plastic pipe were used to protect most of the saplings, probably to protect them from rodents.
The guts of this story are driven by the fact that there was a fire early June caused by a vehicle dragging a muffler on Highway #3. The same vehicle caused an earlier fire on the north side of Highway #3 adjacent to the Stewart Creek gravel road east approximately 5 KM.
Sporadic rainfall for weeks resulted in a vibrant recovery of the grass which meant the inevitable- cows.
Statutes from the B.C. Range Planning and Practices Regulation
- Objectives set by government for water
- maintain or improve water resources.
- maintain or promote healthy riparian and upland areas.
- maintain or promote riparian vegetation that provides sufficient shade to maintain stream temperature within the natural range of variability.
- maintain or promote desired plant communities.
Another example from B.C.’s past that illustrates the sorry state of range management on Gilpin:
Range Management- Handbook for British Columbia- edited by Alistair McLean p.Ag, PhD Research Scientist
Agriculture Canada Research Station Kamloops 1979
“Grazing by domestic stock and wild ungulates is not always compatible but conflicts can be reduced or eliminated by good range management. For example individual range areas that are critical for the survival of game are seldom large. Wildlife should therefore be given preference over most other uses on such areas because grazing habits of game animals cannot be easily changed.”
Gilpin Creek is virtually the western boundary of the Gilpin Grassland Park. The NW corner of the park is 100 meters north of the 3KM board on the Gilpin Road. If you park your vehicle adjacent to a primitive barbed wire gate and open your eyes as you quickly descend a steep cow trail to Gilpin Creek you will witness the most outrageous example of erosion I have witnessed in 38 years of walking the mountains in the East Boundary.
If you walk adjacent to the creek to the Boothman Ranch house site you will find at least another 7 sites although not as outrageous that validate a recommendation by Doug Fraser, Range Practices Officer in his Nov. 2007 report titled “An Evaluation of the Streams and Adjacent Uplands in Overton Moody Range, the bookend watersheds on the Gilpin Grasslands.“ “Develop off-stream water to limit the use of Gilpin Creek by livestock”.
Of course Doug’s recommendation was ignored. My first field trip stop on Gilpin has always been the 3KM corner but I will leave the hundred plus pictures of cow damage on Gilpin Creek for another day!
Barry Brandow Sr.