My extended family and I have lived in Mara and farmed along the banks of the Shuswap River since the early 1960s. Together we farm over 200 acres of land using certified organic practices.
As with many of our long-time neighbours, we have come to appreciate the important role the river plays in the ecological life of the North Okanagan/Shuswap region. Whether it is the incredible annual salmon migration we are witnessing right now, the many birds whose life cycles involve the river, or the myriad forms of aquatic life that support those birds and fish in one way or another, so much life depends on a healthy river.
That is in part why it is so upsetting to witness the river being abused and disrespected by high-speed boating each summer. There are currently no regulations whatsoever governing the speed, noise, and wake of these hi-powered watercraft — most with much more horsepower than a car. As a result of this lack of regulation, we have over 3,000 (boat passes counted in two scientific studies in 2013 and 2014) roaring by at high speeds each summer.
This intensity of traffic cannot possibly be considered a sustainable practice on a living river. Beyond the physical presence of this many powerboats, the resulting noise and disturbance affect life both above and below the water surface. On most summer afternoons there is also a noticeable increase in water turbidity and debris in a 20m band of water along the shoreline as a result of clay and silt banks being pounded by boat wake hour after hour — erosive wave action that is entirely unnatural along this part of the river.
People living in the communities along the river have a unique duty to protect the river ecosystem along with many other values the river provides for non-motorized recreation, drinking and irrigation water, learning about first nations history, nature viewing, etc. We can’t expect people from out-of-province invested in high-speed boating to even perceive, let alone appreciate, the importance of these other values.
As our elected representatives, we appeal to you (as opposed to threatening you with lawsuits) to take this duty seriously and implement strong, effective measures to rein in high-speed boating on the river and encourage a transition to more sustainable forms of recreation that are compatible with other river values.
Specifically for the Mara to Enderby section of the river, respectful low-impact powerboating can only be achieved by significantly reducing speeds and eliminating towing. This will continue to allow all sizes of watercraft to travel on the river while reducing the speed, noise, and wake impacts on river ecology and significantly improving safety and enjoyment for stand-up paddle-boarding, rowing, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, nature viewing, and other forms of non-motorized recreation.
The last-minute amended motion (allowing speeds of 50Km/h plus towing) passed by the 5 Electoral Areas Directors on Oct. 4 will do little to nothing to change the current state of unsustainable powerboat use of the river. We will continue to see thousands of boats each summer travelling at speeds that are the equivalent of giving the middle finger to the river and its’ inhabitants — both non-human and human.
The lakes (Mara, Mable, and Shuswap) provide more than ample opportunities for speed-boating with a fraction of the impacts endured by the river. Lake shorelines are far less erodible, the large open area of a lake can more safely accommodate higher speeds, and the noise is dissipated somewhat with larger distances from shore and greater water depths.
I urge you to recognize that the Shuswap River is worthy of greater respect from all of us. Please take a few minutes to review the Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Plan and pass a new motion that places significant limits on powerboating practices with high speeds, excessive noise, and erosion-inducing wakes.
Hermann Bruns