Your help is needed to protect the Purcell wilderness from heli-skiing and heli-biking

700 square kilometres of the souther Purcell wilderness is under threat from a proposed heli-skiing/biking tenure application by Retallack and Yaqan nu?kiy, the Lower Kootenay Band. This will mean more people and noise in these environments that are key wildlife habitat. 

There is also a smaller proposal from Northwest Mountain Experience for a 110 square kilometre tenure for helicopter-access ski touring and hiking. This operation would sit near the edge of the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy but not have near the helicopter traffic that the proposed Retallack operation would create.

The animals affected by these operations would be mountain goats which are known to be seriously affected by frequent helicopter noise, wolverines, grizzly bears and mountain caribou. Currently there are only four mountain caribou left in the South Purcell herd and this small herd is on the edge. 

What can you do? Please let the BC government know that you are concerned about the impacts of this proposed tenure on wildlife and wilderness in the South Purcells.

Read Wildsight's full comments on Retallack’s proposal and on Northwest’s proposal. Submit your official comments on Northwest Mountain Experience’s proposal here and on Retallack’s proposal here.

Here is a map of Retallack’s tenure and trails or just their tenure and a map of Northwest’s tenure, lodge and cabin proposal. Here are the management plans for Retallack and Northwest.