Proposed B.C. ski resort faces criticism over threat to endangered spotted owl habitat
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A proposed ski resort near Chilliwack, B.C., is drawing criticism from environmental advocates who say public consultation on the project has overlooked its potential impact on one of Canada's most endangered birds — the northern spotted owl.
The province's public comment period for the Bridal Veil Mountain Resort (BVMR) proposal is set to close on Feb. 28. However, the Wilderness Committee said the province has failed to inform the public that the development would impact the protected habitat for the species.
"We're not even going to let the people know, when they come to make a comment, that this project proposes to be right on top of an area that the provincial government has formally protected?" said Joe Foy, the non-profit's protected areas campaigner.
"It's terrible, it's shameful."
Resort proposal overlaps protected habitat
The resort's plan, according to its website, includes an "eco-friendly" gondola that would rise 1,480 metres above Chilliwack, offering visitors "breathtaking" views of the Fraser Valley and Cascade Mountain Range.
Foy said he opposes the gondola routes, as they pass through a designated wildlife habitat area at Elk Creek— more than 2,500 hectares of protected land established in 2011 as part of the province's long-term conservation efforts for the spotted owl. It is one of more than 30 such protected areas.
WATCH | Spuzzum Chief James Hobart on the need to protect northern spotted owls:
First Nation angry after government reverses course on protection for endangered owl
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The Elk Creek habitat sits on Spuzzum Nation territory in B.C.'s Fraser Canyon. CBC News reached out to Spuzzum Chief James Hobart, who has advocated for spotted owl protection, but did not receive a response before publication.
The species, once numbering around 500 breeding pairs in B.C., has been pushed to the brink of extinction by decades of industrial logging, Foy said, leaving just one wild-born owl known to exist in the province today.
"We have reached a place in our history where we are starting to have species go extinct, disappear from our country," he said.
A struggling recovery effort
In 2007, the province launched the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program (NSOBP) in Langley, B.C., the world's only facility dedicated to breeding the species for reintroduction into the wild.
However, recent efforts to release captive-bred owls haven't succeeded. The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship confirmed to CBC News that all six owls released since 2022 have died from various causes, including injury, predation, disease, and starvation.
WATCH | One wild-born spotted owl left in Canada and it lives in B.C.:
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There's only one wild-born spotted owl left in Canada and it lives here in B.C. Joel Ballard has more on one environmental group's criticism of the federal environment ministry, which the group alleges failed to act quickly enough to protect the endangered species.
According to the province, one owl released in 2022 was found injured beside train tracks, and the two others released that year were confirmed dead in May 2023.
Two more released in 2023 did not survive the winter, and the most recent pair, released in June 2024, also died—one due to starvation, the other likely falling prey to a predator, the ministry said.
Two different gondola projects near Chilliwack
The BVMR isn't the only proposed gondola project in the area.
The Cheam First Nation is a proponent and founding partner of the Cascade Skyline Gondola Project, a separate sightseeing gondola proposed for another location, in the Bridal Falls area near Chilliwack.
Initially, this project overlapped with the spotted owl's protected habitat by about 100 metres, but Cheam Chief Darwin Douglas said the design was revised to avoid the area entirely.
"Ours is a very small footprint with low environmental impact," Douglas said.
The proposed Cascade Skyline Gondola involves a single lift and covers about 300 hectares. The BVMR proposal includes building multiple lifts and two residential villages spanning more than 4,700 hectares.
Province and resort proponents respond
Foy said he thinks the province is contradicting itself by funding a captive-breeding program while simultaneously failing to protect the owls' habitat. He is calling on the B.C. government to halt the proposal and provide the public with accurate maps showing the development's potential impact.
The team behind the BVMR proposal said it is still in the very early stages of review and that public feedback is a key part of the process.
"We welcome and encourage any feedback, including environmental concerns and specifically those related to wildlife habitats like the northern spotted owl," the resort's proponents said in a statement to CBC News.
Part of the review process, according to the statement, will include detailed wildlife habitat assessments, species at risk surveys and environmental impact evaluations.
"It's important to note that only after these comprehensive studies are completed will the province, the public, and our team have the scientific data to determine if a project is viable in this location," the BVMR team said.
WATCH | Saving Canada's rarest owl species:
Documentary filmmaker Elena Jean and wildlife conservationist Jasmine McCulligh learn about Canada's endangered Northern Spotted Owl and get a behind-the-scenes look at a unique species-recovery program.
The B.C. government has also said that wildlife impacts will be analyzed as part of the review process.
"Increased public access to the area could impact resource values such as wildlife habitat conserved through established Wildlife Habitat Areas," the province said. "Review, analysis and consideration for many resource values will occur."
It emphasized that, as with all applications, no approval is guaranteed. The province said it is too early to determine when a final decision will be made on the proposal.
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