EDITOR,
Louise Taylor seems to object to Innergex advertising in the Pemberton Visitor's Guide, so she falsely accuses the company of blowing up bear dens, hitting bears with construction trucks, and poaching ("Tourist attractions?" Letters, Chief, June 20). These accusations are fantasies. No such a thing has ever occurred under our responsibility. Construction of the Upper Lillooet Hydro Project has not even started yet.
The public is much better served by the facts.
The main threats to grizzly bear habitat are widely documented and include urbanization, agriculture, road building and hunting. Tourism and development activities such as logging, mining and energy projects can further negatively impact bear habitat, especially if mitigation measures and best practices are not implemented.
The area where Innergex will build the Upper Lillooet Hydro Project is already affected by many years of logging and mining. Ongoing tourism activities in the area - including backcountry 4WD, snowmobiles and dirt bikes - can also impact wildlife, including grizzly bears.
We have planned for a robust set of measures to avoid interaction with bears during construction, such as limiting human access, avoiding high-value foraging areas and foraging periods, and putting up vegetated screens between habitat and roads. We will put a strict Human-Wildlife Interaction Management Plan in place and have promised to contribute financially to the provincial grizzly bear monitoring program.
The government of B.C. has approved our plans, concluding that the Upper Lillooet Hydro Project is not expected to result in any significant adverse effects, based on the mitigation measures and conditions in place. We take these environmental commitments very seriously.
Innergex hopes to start construction on the project later this summer. We will keep you informed about local job and contracting opportunities.
Any questions or concerns? Visit the Creek Power/Innergex office in Pemberton at 7450 Prospect St. (across from the museum).
Bas Brusche
Innergex Renewable Energy
Vancouver
