The White Lake Basin is documented as providing habitat for over 30 federally listed species at risk, the site of critical habitat for rusty cord moss, and proposed critical habitat for an additional three species (sage thrasher, halfmoon hairstreak, yellow-breasted chat). An additional 26 species are considered at some level of risk by the BC Ministry of the Environment. Given its importance for species at risk (SAR), EC has identified this location as a high priority area for immediate efforts to legally protect these species and habitats. However, the high number of species at risk, range of land uses, threats, and land tenure means that a species-by-species approach to protection is inadequate.
The National Research Council (NRC) proposes to prepare a landscape level management plan for a series of critical conservation holdings in the Okanagan Valley. The management plan will include Federally-owned and occupied lands leased to TNT and Clifton Ranch within the White Lake Basin, and will form the basis of a Section 11 Conservation Agreement, for the legal protection of critical habitat.
The current proposal builds on previous stewardship efforts. In 2007, NRC hired a consultant to develop a Species at Risk Management Plan. Unfortunately, this was developed without sufficient consultation or involvement of NRC leases and stakeholders. While the previous plan did provide a number of useful recommendations, it did not go far enough towards identifying where specific SAR sensitivities lie within the White Lake Basin or how NRC, lessee, and public activities should be spatially managed to avoid destruction/degradation of those sensitive areas. This more narrow scope meant that the plan was never formally adopted.
The updated management plan proposed today will have a broader scope of both land area and issues analysis. It is particularly important because the White Lake Basin is a high-priority area for immediate efforts to legally protect species at risk and their habitats. As a result of discussions with NRC, TNT and lessees, the Canadian Wildlife Service has selected a conservation agreement, as described in Section 11 of the Species at Risk Act, as the most feasible means of legal protection. The drafting of this Section 11 conservation agreement is concurrent to the production of this management plan. The management plan will likely be directly referenced in the conservation agreement.
Follow on works will include developing and implementing project-specific research or conservation activities to carry out the priorities set out in the plan.
Suppliers must be recognized conservation experts, have administrative control over at least a portion of the subject lands, and experience working with NRC and NRC’s lessees on the DRAO property.
