Key Information

Cranbrook West Recreation Management Strategy

The Cranbrook West Recreation Management Strategy (RMS) plan area totals 846,400
ha and comprises the west side of the former Cranbrook Forest District. The RMS
includes only non-park provincial Crown land; no Federal lands, private lands or
protected areas are considered in the plan. It encompasses 24 Landscape Units (LU), the
municipalities of Cranbrook and Kimberley, the Canadian portion of the Koocanoosa
Reservoir, sections of the Kootenay, Bull, Moyie and St. Mary’s Rivers and their
tributaries east of the Purcells.
The region contains a varied landscape of mountains and broad valley bottoms that
provides for a mix of four-season recreation opportunities. As well, the area supports
world-renowned populations of fish and wildlife and diverse, contiguous natural habitats.
High scenic, conservation and recreation values of the land and water within the plan area
contribute to the quality of life for residents and are spurring a current dramatic growth in
tourism-related industries. This growth offers significant economic benefits for the local
established recreation service sector as well as opportunities for new business.
With the diversity of recreation opportunities, there is also an increasing demand on the
land base from both commercial and public recreation users; as a result, there are
conflicts between and among them. Impacts on other resource values are also becoming
a concern. To help address impacts and conflicts, protect resource values, provide
increased certainty for the commercial recreation sector, and to complete recreation
planning in the Cranbrook Landscape Units, this area was given priority for strategic
recreation access planning. Industrial access is not considered in the plan.

Contact

Sangita.Sudan@gov.bc.ca