2022
July
Mt Assiniboine Elevation 3618m, East Kootneys
The Kootenays – World’s greatest Outdoor Arena
The population of the Okanagan is growing at a rapid pace and beyond belief. People from all over Canada and from other parts of the world move to this sun-drenched valley. What once were quiet and tranquil farming communities are now bustling towns and cities. To no one’s surprise, people start to explore the nearby countryside, be it for pleasure or just to find some peace and quiet. The Kootenays, bordering the Okanagan, seems to become a preferred destination. With an area of 76,000 km2 and a population of around 200,000, the Kootenays have room to grow. Land and property prices are still comparatively low.
The Kootenays are home to four National Parks and over 75 Provincial Parks. Canada’s natural treasures are protected forever in these parks. Burgess Shale, Kootenay & Yoho National Parks and Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park are included in the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks UNESCO World Heritage Site.
World renowned Mount Assiniboine, at an elevation of 3,618 meters, is situated along the continental divide near the south-east corner of the park and has defined mountain splendor in the Canadian Rockies for over 100 years.
2020
November
Gate within the working boundary of the proposed national park restricts access to Mt. Kobau
The road blockade that was removed by people to gain access to Mount Kobau over our private section of land within the boundary for the proposed national park, was replaced by a bright yellow steel gate to stop trespassers.
2019
June
Technology driven survey
The drone survey was conducted by a British Columbia engineering company together with a specialized drone survey company in the Fairview area, west of Oliver BC. The objective of the survey was to plan and build a road with a 10-12 % grade in a treed area with a linear distance of 1.2 km and a height difference of 365 m or 30 % grade.
The survey was performed in two parts over three days. Step one was to survey the area with a smaller drone and taking a total of 3046 images. In step two, the larger drone with a wingspan of 1.8 m, equipped with a rotating cylinder that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser and constantly measures 200-300 variable distances per square meter.
The laser pulses measure in the same way light falls to the ground. Where in the denser tree covered area the laser pulses cannot meet the ground, a specialized software evaluates tree lengths and deducts the lengths of the trees to the ground, resulting in a topography of the bare land that allows contour lines with an elevation difference as close as 25 cm to plan roads and structures.
With millions of laser pulses, compared to the conventional air survey with pictures of the topography, the new technology called LIDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, offers a high accuracy for planners and will in the end be more cost effective.
2018
August
The proposed National Park Reserve, largely encompassing the land in the triangle Oliver, Osoyoos, Cawston, with Mount Kobau in the center, that has been in the works for years, appears to be a step closer to becoming reality.
In a conference call Parks Canada gave an update with the hope that Parks Canada, the B.C. government and the Okanagan Nation Alliance will initiate consultations this fall and then make recommendations on a park concept, including final boundaries, by late spring, early summer of 2019.
An outcome in favor of a national park will have a positive impact in the area with undeniable long-term benefits for the South Okanagan.
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