Friends of Rose Swanson Ecosystem Society (FORSES) is a new society bringing people together to protect Mount Rose Swanson.
Friends of Rose Swanson Ecosystem Society (FORSES) is a new society bringing people together to protect Mount Rose Swanson.
Rose Swanson Mountain is the area in the heart of Spallumcheen, in the North Okanagan that includes Mount Rose and Mount Swanson, shown by the red outline on the map below. Rose Swanson Mountain is used for all types of recreation (hiking, biking, horseback riding, snowshoeing, hunting, foraging, motorized recreation, and more) by local community members and tourists year round. Public recreation rights and values are protected within the 712 hectares of Rose Swanson Mountain (shown in green on the map below) that is designated as a Sensitive Area. Public recreation and enjoyment must legally be considered above all other usage in the Sensitive Area. Recreational use of the whole area, beyond the Sensitive Area, is important to the community.
BC Timber Sales (‘BCTS’) has published an amended Forest Service Plan updating their approach to logging on Rose Swanson. This plan still needs to be approved after hearing from the community.
This Amendment is the result public outcry over the last year. Logging on the mountain cannot go ahead until there is broad community consultation and those plans do not impact the community’s recreational use of the mountain.
FORSES sees new plan has pros and cons in the plan
- there is a larger percentage of the mountain slated to cut (5% instead of the original plan of 1.4%)
- BCTS still plans to log inside the Sensitive Area despite the Order
- there will be no clearcuts - instead logging will remove up to 85% of the trees in an area
- BCST promises to return all the trails on the mountain, inlcuding on the north end, to their current state
- The plan creates two zones and gives less protection to Zone 2, which is the bigger area of the mountain. Logging could happen closer to the trails in Zone 2 and more trees would be cut
- the plan focuses on harvesting trees that are profitable, not the ones that create fire risks
Respond to BCTS's proposal by November 19, 2021 at 4:30 pm.
You can read BCTS' proposed Amendment here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/forestry/bc-timber-sales/updates-information-releases/rose_swanson_mountain_fsp_amendment_-_proposed_results_and_strategies.pdf
The email address to send your reply to BCTS is at the end of their proposed amendment. Click on the link.
We are a group of volunteers working together Rose Swanson.
Research: We've started working with UBC Forestery students to do research on Rose Swanson because more research = more data = better decisions for the mountain. Read about the three research projects here.
Work with the Township: Three FORSES Board members sit on the Township of Spallumcheen's Select Committee, to talk about the future of Rose Swanson. The Select Committee conducted a survey of community members. Here are the results.
See who is Using the Trails: FORSES is working with the Armstrong Spallumcheen Trail Society to learn how much people are using the mountian for recreation. There are now trail counters on the mountain, recording one year of data about how many people are using the trails.
Yes to Public Recreation!
Yes to More Access to the Mountain!
Yes to Enhancement of Trail Networks!
Rose Swanson Mountain is shared by hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders, ATVers, snowmobilers, medicinal herb foragers, hunters and others. Development plans in the surrounding forest must not negatively affect recreational use in Sensitive Area. There is legal protection of our recreational uses in the Sensitive Area. We are working to make sure that the full extent of public recreation use and values are understood by decision-makers.
FORSES is a new society to bring together all different recreational users of the area to work together to protect and improve the mountain.
Respond to the BCTS Consultation by Nov 19, 2021
The consultation is described here and we have an easy template ready for you to use.
Learn about the Legal History and Status of Rose Swanson here.
Join FORSES· helps us to demonstrate the breadth of community use and the importance of these recreational values.
Yes to More Access to the Mountain!
Mountain access is limited to a single public access point. Limited parking is putting pressure on rural roads and local residents. Reopening historic public access points will improve recreational to the mountain. We are working with the Township of Spallumcheen to develop more access points and parking options for recreational users.
Yes to Enhancement of Trail Networks!
FORSES is working with the Armstrong-Spallumcheen Trails Society and volunteers to accurately map, maintain and improve existing trails. Volunteer work parties will be announced. Help us map the mountain. Share your GPS, Strava and AllTrails maps by sending them to FORSES.
Yes to Protecting At-Risk Wildlife on the Whole Mountain! Rose Swanson Mountain is home to many animals, birds, flora, and other living things. It is a dwindling habitat to at-risk species including:
Send your pictures of the diverse flora and fauna to FORSES.
Yes to Forest Fire Prevention!
A Rose Swanson FireSmart program is in progress - stay tuned! We strongly advocate for FireSmart practices in the Wildland Urban Interface to reduce wildfire risks and to improve overall forest health.
What is at Stake?
Rose Swanson Sensitive Area is a treasured asset in the North Okanagan. This is our little wilderness. One way or another, the ancient and diverse forest of Rose Swanson bestows benefits to everyone who resides here. It is our place to hike, to snowshoe, to ride for kilometres on end. It is the place where we find beauty and solitude in nature. It is the place where we go to connect with nature and marvel at the grand ancient cedar, douglas fir, larch, cottonwood, birch, aspen and alder. It is the place where many of us exercise daily.
Rose Swanson is the anchor forest for the wildlife that graces our rural properties flanking the slopes through to the valley bottoms. We have bears, wolves, cougar, lynx, bobcats, moose, deer and coyotes on our rural properties because our lands are an extension of the Rose Swanson ecosystem. We have the birds of the mature forests at our winter feeders because their range extends up the forested slopes of Mounts Rose & Swanson.
Rose Swanson is also the high forested land that feeds our aquifers with its snow melt, paced out long into the forest fire season. Its snows replenish our aquifers and maintain a humid forest floor long into summer, thereby tamping down our forest fire risk.
Rose Swanson and its intact ancient forests is a place that contributes to the well-being and quality of life of those of us who make the North Okanagan our home.
Help us demonstrate the full extent of recreation on the mountain. Share your GPS, AllTrails, Strava and Avenzo maps of your trail rides, hikes, runs, bike routes all over the mountain by sending they to us at roseswansonmountain@gmail.com.
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