Armstrong and Spallumcheen residents are pushing for the protection of Rose Swanson Mountain.
The park on crown land is designated as a future logging site, and locals who frequent the area’s trails for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding are calling for the forest to be spared from clear-cutting.
“It is a local treasure that is well-used by the community. It should be saved and made available to the whole community to enjoy now and for many years to come,” said Cheri Saunders, who started an online petition that has garnered more than 1,400 signatures.
Saunders goes to the Rose Swanson park four to five times a week and has noticed more people using the space since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Not a day goes by when I don’t see another person or group on the trails. Even in the winter months, these trails are widely used by cross country skiers and on snowshoes,” she says.
“It is one of the last areas where the community can go and escape the craziness of life and be able to social distance at the same time.
“If it is not saved from logging, Rose Swanson Park will become overflowed more than it already is. These crown areas are a treasure and should be treated as such.”
The Ministry of Forests says it cannot comment on plans for logging because, during the election, communications officers are limited to discussing health and safety information and statutory requirements.
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