Cherry Ridge Management Committee (CRMC)
Minutes of the April 9th, 2015 AGM
Attendees (18): Hank Cameron, Eugene Foisy, Aline Piché, Wayne Cunneyworth, Garry
Toma, Evelyn Toma, Bea Bryan, Tim Staker, Bill McLean, Lance Harvey, Clarence
Drebit, Sue Horton, Rick Monroe, Jamey Sanborn, Sean Ardis, Sue Kelsey, Frank Kelsey
and Kerri Parnell.
Meeting Preliminaries
Hank called the meeting to order at 7:20 pm, and read the agenda.
Aline read the minutes from the January 8th directors’ meeting.
Sean moved that the minutes be accepted as read, with the modification that the proposed
silviculture survey would cost a maximum of $500 instead of $1,000. Garry seconded.
Wayne read the treasurer’s report as provided by Penny Stuyt;
Financial Report
Year end Financial Statement at November 30, 2014:
High Interest Savings
$ 407.54
Membership Shares
$
28.14
Equity Share Certificate
$ 1,280.00
Prime Link GIC
$132,800.00
Chequing Account
$ 5,725.72
Status of accounts from the end of March, 2015 bank statement:
High Interest Savings
$ 407.54
Membership Shares
$
28.98
Equity Share Certificate
$ 1,280.00
Prime Link GIC
$132,800.00
Chequing Account
$ 2,870.16
A copy of the financial statements will be available on file at the CRMC office for review
on request.
Evelyn moved that the financial report be approved, Bea seconded.
Grants
Hank mentioned that CRMC has received three grant applications from the community;
from Kerri Parnell and Yarrow Fleury to give every child at the elementary school a
reusable lunch bag on Earth Day (the bags are made by local artisan Maya Arcand),
from Todd and Joline Mortenson to make improvements to the Cherryville “skate park”
and from Chelsea Hacking to purchase an incubator to hatch heritage chicken eggs at the
school. There was a consensus amongst the group to support all three projects.
Forest Report
Hank gave a summary of last year’s activities and the projects awaiting for 2015.
2014
Not a lot of harvesting occurred, efforts were concentrated on road improvements. The
weather condition make them still too wet to be driven on, but it’s looking good, and they
are draining well. The K3T road improvements will happen this year, when the funds
become available.
There was some salvage logging done on Cherry and Heckman ridge by Toni Paul and
Lance Harvey. Under our present allowable cut CRMC still is able to harvest 2,500 cu ft
in 2015. CRMC also contracted out the design, painting and fabrication of large 10 x10
timber-framed signs to high light the Shuswap Hill View point and the Cherryville
Community Forest entrances. It was a great collaboration between community members
like Lee Laviolette and Kerri Parnell. In the process the community forest also got its
logo; it now has a nice presence and identity.
There also was quite the controversy with the government (BCTS), which will be
ongoing into this year. We won’t expand too much on this tonight, but they are working
on the Hard Luck Mountain Rd (or Hard Rock Mountain, as they found out). The funds
to conduct the Cherry Creek hydrology and stability studies have been granted, and we
will be moving right along on this, involving local residents, old timers, etc, and
collaborating with other groups and jurisdictions, like OCCP (Okanagan Collaborative
Conservation program) and OKIB (Okanagan Indian Band). A public session will be held
soon this spring to start gathering local information and knowledge. Right now we need
to establish a Steering Committee to get the 1st phase of the studies started.
Earth Day litter pick-up will be held on Saturday, April 18th. CRMC is part of the
Adopt-a-Highway program, and volunteers clean-up garbage along a section of North
Fork Road more than once a year, but Earth Day is always the kick-off of the season.
There will be a gathering at Frank’s store at 12:00 to drop-off the garbage collected but
also to remind everyone (including the media) that the 3rd anniversary of the 2012 Sugar
Lk Rd mudslide is fast approaching (on April 24th). That will be the last day before the
investigation reports have to be released. Prior attempts to access or release them have
been unsuccessful.
2015
Toni Paul is in the process of removing all the trees that could potentially take out the
power lines on North Fork rd. There is also quite a bit of breakage on Old North Fork Rd,
and it would be a good time to put in a firebreak.
We have about 1,000 cu m of wood sold already. We are developing markets - right now
we have 8 buying agreements, and more people are asking. Some buyers are small
business owners, and some are larger companies.
There is also the possibility of pursuing getting the water rights on the springs that run on
the landbase. With the changes brought by the new Water Act, water rights are becoming
even more valuable so it might be a good time to get that ball rolling and avoid losing
those rights in the future.
The Fenceline Road will be developed further uphill from the Old North Fork Landing on
Cherry Ridge, and the K3T road drainage improvements will be done.
The situation on “Tolko’s landing” on the H10 Road still has to be resolved.
Eugene mentioned that he met with a Vernon fire warden who informed him that he has 6
to 8 fireproof coveralls to donate to Cherryville.
Sean added that in order for an individual to be allowed to use loaned firefighting
equipment, that person must detain a S100 permit (one can get the ticket online after
answering a short questionnaire, and paying $25).
Election of Officers
(Chaired by Eugene Foisy)
Nominations for Chairman – Hank nominated Jamey, who declined.
Aline nominated Garry, who accepted.
Nominations for Vice-chair – Aline nominated Bill, who declined.
Wayne nominated Sean, who accepted.
Nominations for Treasurer – Hank nominated Clarence, who accepted.
Garry nominated Jamey, who declined.
Nominations for Secretary – Evelyn nominated Aline, who declined.
Wayne nominated Sue, who accepted.
Directors (14): Garry Toma, Sean Ardis, Clarence Drebit, Sue Horton, Tim Staker,
Evelyn Toma, Bill McLean, Lance Harvey, Aline Piché, Wayne Cunneyworth, Hank
Cameron, Eugene Foisy, Frank Kelsey, and Cathy MacPherson.
Tim Staker gave an updated on the 2012 Sugar Lk Rd slide. We have to wait every
minute of the 3 years for the experts’ reports. Andrew Gage of West Coast
Environmental Law has sent a letter to the Minister of Freedom of Information, to which
there still hasn’t been a response. Andrew Gage suggested that letters coming from
concerned residents to the Minister might have a bigger impact. Tim wrote and sent such
a letter with no more effect. Perhaps more residents should send a personal letter? The 3rd
anniversary is coming up, come to the Earth Day event at Frank’s, and bring signs!
Aline reported on Water Stewards news. Changes are being made to our monitoring
program, so that a full year of tests (like in the past) will only occur every third year. So
in 2015, we will be sampling all the waterways only three times; at high-water in late
May or early June, low-water in August, and in November to establish a baseline. We
still have about a $1,000 in funds, $450 of which came from the weed-pulling conducted
at the BC Hydro Dam Picnic site. Part of the money will be spent on up keeping the
composting toilet at Frank’s Store and getting it ready for Earth Day. We also acquired
two magnetic signs with the CWS logo to be worn on sampling days, and most of the
remaining funds will be invested into Claude Labine’s permanent water monitoring
station on Cherry Creek to continually measure its flow. The water stewards also have
adopted a section of a road, between the Cherry Creek bridge on Sugar Lk Rd and the
Aumond Rd turn-off, where volunteers collect garbage all year round.
Aline also spoke about the Blue Dot Movement, and invited people to sign the petition so
that Cherryville joins the movement.
Bill McLean updated everyone on his communication with local First Nations. We are
still waiting for some guidance from them. All the exchanges are positive, and we
received many support letters, but no concrete moves yet. Al Peatt from the Okanagan
Nation Alliance is our new contact.
Wayne gave a bit of history relating to Informed Cherryville Area Residents for the
Environment (ICARE!), the beginnings of CRMC and the Community Forest. Originally
established as a committee of the Cherryville Community Club in 1995, CRMC was
incorporated as an independent BC Society in 1996 with a mandate to address
environmental and conservation concerns in the Cherryville area so that the community
club could focus on its mandate of local recreational objectives. With proceeds from the
generous volunteer contributions of many local residents during early logging efforts on
Cherry Ridge, a GIC account was opened with an initial deposit of $103,562.41 as a long
term seed fund for future conservation requirements in Cherryville. CRMC continued to
challenge clear cutting plans of major licensees on an ad-hoc basis, succeeding with local
volunteers and alternative selective logging on the ridge over subsequent years. In 2005
discussions began with the Ministry of Forests to develop a long term strategy for Cherry
Ridge and a community forest to replace the status quo of continuing confrontation with
licensees. After several years and much more local volunteer work, CRMC accepted the
Ministry’s offer of a Community Forest Agreement in March, 2009, encompassing two
areas on Cherry Ridge and Heckman Ridge.
Hank mentioned that the Hanson Park salvage is complete, and the milling will happen in
a few weeks. A crew including RDNO staff will be touring the park grounds and
establishing potential needs of improvement, i.e. creek stability, electrical issues, fence
repairs, etc. The cedar bark harvest will happen again this year, for the 4th time. It is a
social event open to all, where we have a picnic. A date hasn’t been fixed yet.
Sean reported that there is significant blow-down damage on the Richlands Historic
Flume Trail. Previously he has organized several such trail work days. He and many
Cherryville friends have volunteered to clean it up, and they are planning on doing it
again this year, late in June.
Frank moved that the meeting be adjourned at 8:55 pm, Evelyn seconded.