Welcome

You are invited to review and comment on proposed changes to the Golden Backcountry Recreation Access Plan (GBRAP). The GBRAP was approved by the BC Provincial Government 3 years ago. The purpose of the plan is to set patterns of recreational use in the Golden backcountry in order to maintain valuable recreation experiences, promote and manage tourism, and manage our impact on important wildlife habitat. The plan does not affect industrial access such as forestry or mining operations.

The GBRAP does not deal with specific operational recreational issues, such as the management of recreation sites or trails. It focuses more on where certain public and commercial recreational activities should and should not occur in the backcountry.

While the GBRAP covers the entire Golden TSA (stretching from the Beaverfoot to the North Columbia), the recommendations for this review only cover the "West Bench" area - extending from 14 Mile Creek to Quartz Creek. This West Bench area is considered to be a key area for future growth in public and commercial recreation, and contain key wildlife values.

This is your opportunity to play a role in setting patterns of recreation use for our backcountry. If you want to have a say, there is no better time than now. For the plan to be a success, the community's input is essential.

Your input will be reviewed by both the Golden Backcountry Recreation Advisory Committee (see page 4) and provincial government staff. After that, final recommendations will be submitted to the Integrated Land Management Bureau of the Provincial Government for approval.

Next page: The Concept