Snowmobilers who venture into areas set aside for Mountain Caribou this winter risk stiff fines.
As much as $50,000 can be levied against anyone found inside a closure and conservation officers will be patrolling those areas by both ground and air, B.C. Conservation Officer Service deputy chief Chris Doyle said.
"The high country of B.C.'s interior wetbelt provides good habitat which is ideal for Mountain Caribou. It's also attractive to snowmobilers and other backcountry users," Doyle said during a teleconference with provincial media last week.
In response to the presence of snowmobilers, Doyle said the animals may move to less suitable and more dangerous areas in terms of foraging and avalanche hazard. Predators will use the snowmobile trails to help them hunt the animals, Doyle added.
"So many areas of the province have been closed to snowmobilers to use, to support recovery of the Mountain Caribou, particularly in the Thompson, Kootenay, Cariboo, Omineca and Peace regions," Doyle said.
The closures are part of a strategy to help the Mountain Caribou's population recover. Maps showing the no go zones can be found at www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/wildlife/snowmobile-closures/.
