(Target shooting site on Skutz Forest Service Road)
Target shooting and nature appreciation a bad mix for Cowichan River Provincial Park
'It's concerning that people are being idiots out on the land,' says regional director Ian Morrison
Happy 'BC Trails Day' everyone!
And if you’re planning a trip to Cowichan River Provincial park, don’t forget your ear plugs.
I am being facetious, but only a little.
Earlier this year, on a sunny weekend, I hiked the Skutz Falls loop, between Skutz Falls and 66 Mile Trestle, in Cowichan River Provincial Park.
The trip took about 2.5 hours and during that time the forest reverberated with the repeated sounds of gunfire — and the occasional very loud explosion.
The sounds emanated from multiple locations and varied from close to distant depending on the section of trail, but could be heard throughout the hike.
(The sound of gunfire, Cowichan River Provincial Park).
What the heck was going on?
The BC Parks website extolls the virtues of the park for a myriad of recreational opportunities, but gunplay and explosives are definitely not listed among them.
I decided to investigate and drove over the Skutz Falls bridge and up the provincial Skutz Forest Service Road.
At the 700-metre mark, a sign on the left revealed that Cowichan Tribes’ forestry arm, Khowutzun Forest Services, holds Community Forest Licence K1K in this area. The sign also read: “No unauthorized activity permitted.” (From here, a 40-second walk through the forest connects with the Skutz loop trail.)
Continuing along the road, I spotted five pickup trucks leaving the edge of a clearcut at the 2.1-kilometre mark.
A campfire was left smouldering; 12-gauge shotgun shells and shattered clay targets littered the ground. (Hand-thrower devices are used to launch the clay targets, along with more expensive automated models.)
An empty box had contained 300 .22-calibre cartridges.
There were one-litre propane bottles and beer cans riddled with holes.
As for the explosions, they appeared to be caused by fireworks called Blue Dragon Bomb.
At another clearcut at the 4.0-kilometre mark of the forest road, more of the same.
(Propane bottle, clay targets)
Weekend warriors obviously use these clearcuts for cheap target practice — with apparent impunity — rather than sign up with a legitimate gun club.
"It's concerning that people are being idiots out on the land" by leaving shell casings and trash, responded Ian Morrison, elected director for Cowichan Lake South/Skutz Falls on the Cowichan Valley Regional District.
"It's absolutely a concern."
The Cowichan Valley Trap and Skeet Club on Cowichan Lake Road (https://www.cvtsc.ca/ ) provides a safe and controlled environment for individuals to shoot clay targets with shotguns.
"That's why our club is here, for people to get the foundations and to learn and be supervised," vice-president Leah Lowrey said Friday.
But the club offers limited hours due to noise issues in a rural residential area: 6 to 9 pm on Tuesdays, and two weekend days per month.
Lowrey said she appreciates that some individuals might prefer to target shoot in clearcuts with fewer restrictions, but encourages them to do so safely and to pick up their garbage.
So, here’s the thing: if society believes that such activities are a legitimate form of recreation, are there no better options? The problem with these two clearcuts is that they are located just beyond the boundary of a popular provincial park.
(Cowichan Valley Provincial Park)
It raises a fundamental question: should one person's freedom to conduct target practice and create explosions supersede another person’s freedom to enjoy the park in peace and quiet?
You’d think that someone in government would be concerned about this. But the truth is, not so much.
Cowichan Tribes did not respond to a request for comment.
BC Parks expressed no interest in investigating ways to curb the gunfire in the interests of park visitors.
The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship provided, in part, the following guidance:
— “The Conservation Officer Service is the provincial agency that verifies whether a firearms related safety concern exists.”
— “Conservation Officers may respond to reports of illegal and dangerous target shooting, including proactively via patrols of backcountry areas.”
— “If someone is concerned about the unsafe discharge of firearms, call 911 and report it to the RCMP.”
You are forgiven for thinking the chances of someone showing up to investigate are not good — odds only made worse by the fact you’re out of cell range.
And so the shooting continues....
Read more about the sixth annual BC Trails Day on Saturday: https://www.orcbc.ca/bctrailsday .
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(The Canadian Association of Journalists has nominated sixmountains.ca for a national award for an investigative series on an unauthorized landfill on Cowichan Tribes reserve land: https://www.sixmountains.ca/article/6b58c0bc-455b-4090-b4e8-c4868545eefe )