Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks issued a bulletin yesterday (Feb. 3) announcing that an area on Mount Revelstoke will be closed until further notice due to caribou in the area.
The announcement was made yesterday, but the closure is in effect from today (Feb. 4) until the parks end it. The closure was made to protect the caribou that were spotted in the area, which are considered endangered.
Citing section 32 (1) of the Species at Risk Act, Parks Canada closed areas of Mount Revelstoke closest to town. Specifically, the restriction said in the bulletin that “no person shall harass a wildlife species that is listed as endangered or threatened.”
The closure includes most of the southwestern side of Mount Revelstoke National Park.
The announcement is just months after a separate caribou closure on Frisby Ridge ended after 14 years. The Frisby Ridge closure ended when an announcement was made in November that the herd that the closure sought to protect was “functionally extirpated.” In this sense, functionally extirpated meant that the herd was no longer an active part of the environment due to a low population, and would likely not survive.
Still, under the Species at Risk Act, National Parks Canada can close areas where endangered species – like the caribou – are spotted. The penalty for violating the closure can be severe, with a maximum fine of $25,000.
For specific locations of the closure, visit the Parks Canada website, which has an interactive map marking the closure.
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