Dear Editor:

This letter is to clarify the Wildsight application for the Lake Enid clean-up.

Two weeks ago, The Pioneer printed a readers letter regarding a fall 2011 application from Wildsights Invermere branch to the Regional District of East Kootenay / Columbia Basin Trust community initiative fund.

The application requested support to clean up and restore the Lake Enid recreation area behind Wilmer with the intention of using the Lake Enid area for public education regarding the potential damage that irresponsible recreation can have on our fragile soils, grasslands and wetland habitat.

During the initial Columbia Valley Responsible Use Coalition meeting, it was agreed that cleaning up Lake Enid would be a good idea. An application was later submitted to support the clean-up and restoration efforts.

Subsequently, the Responsible Use Coalition expanded to include more organizations and morphed into the Recreation Access Management process. Due to the change in focus, there was no longer consensus to partner with Wildsight for the Lake Enid clean-up. The application to the regional district / Columbia Basin Trust fund was amended and submitted as an application from the Wildsight Invermere Branch only. The readers concern regarding the application was addressed by the Recreation Access Management Planning Process steering committee in early spring 2012.

In June 2012, Wildsight Invermere branch volunteers and members of the Columbia Valley Dirtbike Club worked to pick up and haul away a large truckload of garbage from the Lake Enid area. The area will still require an invasive weed pull and reseeding of areas that have damaged grasslands, a pervasive issue in the trench.

For more information regarding invasive weeds and their impact on grasslands and riparian zones, check out the recently available B.C. government Report-a-Weed BC app available free of charge for iPhone and Android platforms.

The Report-a-Weed website notes that invasive plants, often called weeds, are plants that are not native to British Columbia, and cause lasting environmental and economic harm. Some are toxic, or otherwise harmful to humans or animals. These plants can establish and spread quickly, and outcompete our native vegetation. Eradication and control efforts cost B.C. taxpayers millions of dollars every year!

If you are interested to volunteer for the continued clean-up and restoration of the Lake Enid area, please contact the Invermere branch of Wildsight at Box 2741 Invermere BC. V0A 1KO, or leave a message at 250-342-5445.

Kat Hartwig

Invermere Branch volunteer, Wildsight