The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources continues to seek input on a possible road between Anahim Lake and Vanderhoof.
According to the province, the road would begin about 55-kilometres north of Anahim Lake at the end of the Dean River Road, near Eliguk Lake, and connect to the end of the Kluskus Forest Service Road.
“The connection between ourselves and Anahim is an important one as we are both agricultural places and certainly the access we would have through Anahim to the ocean would be good as well. I think there would be some real positives,” said Gerry Thiessen, Vanderhoof Mayor.
The proposed road would allow traffic to travel more directly from Anahim Lake to Highway 16 while connecting the communities of Vanderhoof and Anahim Lake.
The road would begin about 55-kilometres north of Anahim Lake at the end of the Dean River Road, pass near Eliguk Lake, and connect to the end of the Kluskus Forest Service Road.
The BC Government is drumming up talks for the road once again following the intense wildfire activity in both areas over the last two years.
“Twenty years ago there was talk about going up from the Whistler area and just coming up to Anahim and then continuing on and then everything quieted down and didn’t hear anything more of it and I think the province saw this as a concern about a year, year and a half ago and came back to us.”
Thiessen adds the potential emergency access route would alleviate any safety concerns.
“This road comes awfully close to the Tweedsmuir Park and the Pine Beetle has certainly taken its toll in those areas but what we have seen is fire activity in the summertime has been immense and has caused some safety concerns.”
“We see that for the people of Anahim, what they have requested in an emergency route and so we have seen a number of forest fires the last two years.”
If built, the road would be along one of the Caribou habitat areas and the province is working on how to ensure as little disruption as possible.
Feedback can be emailed until Wednesday, October 31st to project manager Erika Driedger at [email protected]
– with files from Rebecca Kelli, My Cariboo Now