Nearly 200,000 people come together in efforts to save BC wilderness

A ‘Fish, Wildlife and Habitat’ coalition was formed this past month and now has 188,000 members from across BC.

The coalition is comprised of 750 businesses and 54,000 supporters from different backgrounds, lifestyles and political beliefs.

According to Steve Hamilton, Vice-Chair of the communications committee at the Wild Sheep Society of BC and Prince George resident, the group is demanding fish, wildlife and habitat no longer take a ‘back seat’ in B.C.

“We all can agree that the common goal is to enhance population and push for better management techniques,” explained Hamilton, “we need to invest, conserve and restore our landscape and wildlife.”

Initially, the coalition was formed because of a shared belief that the provincial budget in BC does not set enough funding aside for wildlife management.

“In 1954, BC spent approximately .63% of the provincial budget on fish and wildlife,” explained Hamilton, “by 2017, that number declined to .06%, so you can imagine what’s happening to fish and wildlife habitat throughout BC.”

Hamilton explained that this issue is particularly noticeable in areas of Northern BC, including Prince George, as communities tend to be further apart and is home to a vast amount of wildlife.

“To put it into perspective, BC has 18 huntable big game populations, we have a budget of $34.1 million in Fish and Wildlife for a land size of 945,000 square km and a population of 4.6 million people,” said Hamilton, “in Washington, they have a population of 7.1 million people, 184,000 square km, 10 huntable big game populations and a $153-million budget.”

The coalition has a number of supporting partners including Ducks Unlimited Canada, the BC Wildlife Federation and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society‘s BC chapter.