UPDATE 2017-08-20
Google Search Criteria:
bc government special reports Protecting Karst in Coastal BC
February 10, 2016:
Agreement fails to protect rare karst landscapes, expert warns
Great Bear Rainforest largely protected by new accord, but caves and sinkholes left out
By Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun
******************************************************************
June 6, 2013
Each one of these little red dots represent a known cave, or a
Karst... which is okay by those of our communities that just love t
o go underground....
Updated below on December 2, 2014
Google Search Criteria:
karst vulnerability mapping north eastern British Columbia
As
you can see, Vancouver Island has more that their fare share... and if
you're thinking that it's directly related to ... volcanic activity...
or earth quakes....... Karst is having to do with carbonated bedrock...
The BC Minister of Forest has this to say about Karst:
In British Columbia, the responsibility for managing karst resources in
provincial forests lies with the Ministry of Forests. Under the Forest
Practices Code, several provisions have been made for managing sensitive
areas such as karst. The Code requires identified sensitive areas to be
treated in a way that protects or conserves special resource values. To
accommodate some of the unique requirements of managing karst, the
ministry is developing interim karst management guidelines that will
provide direction on managing forestry and recreational activities in
karst landscapes.
AND
Karst is recognized as a highly valuable, non-renewable resource that can be especially vulnerable to disturbance, more so than many other
land resources. The primary reason for this higher level of sensitivity
is the three-dimensional nature of karst. The intricate relationship
between karst's unique surface characteristics and the subsurface caves
and hydrology make for a delicately balanced system. Industrial
activities, such as rock quarrying or forestry, if not properly
conducted, can lead to excessive soil erosion, destruction of surface
and subsurface karst features, changes in groundwater flows, and
contamination, sedimentation, or clogging of underground and surface
streams.
Enbridge's Northern Gateway
Pipeline has been turned down by the BC Liberals, so far, although it's
not an outright complete rejection. At the Federal level, they've
already made up their minds, haven't they.
There was a very detailed study done regarding the
watersheds that the pipeline will be going through, fish counts too ... but did the Minister of Forests step up to the plate and talk about Karsts?
No!
LNG Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) doesn't mix with Karst......
the leaching of calcium carbonate from bedrock has important buffering effects on acidic streams,
the groundwater associated with karst results in cool, even stream temperatures throughout the year,
the
storage capacity in karst stream systems buffers seasonal flow rates to
produce lower peak flows and higher low flow periods,
karst
streams tend to supply more nutrients and encourage more algae and moss
growth, aquatic insect populations within karst streams are larger and
more diverse,
karst stream systems provide more protective sites for fish to rest, breed, and avoid predators
In 2003 the BC Liberal Government put together this little document:
Karst Inventory Standards and Vulnerability Assessment Procedures for BC BROKEN New Link at bottom September 24, 2014 Updated
Reconnaissance-level karst inventory work for the entire province of British Columbia was completed in 1999. The result of this work is a set of 87 map sheets
(1:250 000 scale) outlining those areas in the province that have the
potential for karst development. These maps can be used to assist with
strategic planning and for directing more detailed karst inventories.
Page 4 of 123
Karst Inventory and
Vulnerability Assessment Procedures in the Forested Karst Landscapes of British Columbia, Canada - ABSTRACT
Last but by no means Least, there's
The First Nations concerns about Karsts:
As the archaeological evidence suggests, karst played a significant role
in the lives of many aboriginal peoples in the past. Karst caves were
not only used for shelter, but were also considered by some groups to be
sacred places for burial and ceremonial purposes. .... snip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 7, 2013
http://www.fpb.gov.bc.ca/news/backgrounders/Protecting_Karst.htm
Updated December 2, 2014
It
seems that the Province via the Forest Practice Board is no longer
interested in protecting Karsts, the link above is broken, ........
However there is the Wayback Machine for May 26, 2007:
http://web.archive.org/web/20070526054106/http://www.fpb.gov.bc.ca/news/backgrounders/Protecting_Karst.htm
and the Wayback Machine for the year of 2007 on Karst
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.fpb.gov.bc.ca/news/backgrounders/Protecting_Karst.htm
How effective will licensees be at protecting karst
in coastal BC from damage due to forest practices? The answer remains
unknown. We know that karst is a resource that, particularly on the BC
coast, is sensitive to damage from forest practices. Government no
longer protects karst by checking and approving forest practices.
Instead, those who carry out forest practices must themselves determine
how best to carry out forest practices in a way that avoids damaging
identified karst features.
This shift of responsibility for karst
stewardship, from government to industry, requires that licensees, their
professionals, contractors and equipment operators all learn about
karst, its identification, its sensitivity and its protection. More
information on karst can be found in an on-line training course on the
Ministry of Forests and Range website at
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/training/00008
Dr. Bruce Fraser, Chair
Update: December 2, 2014:
B.C. researchers dive underwater caves to solve salmon mystery (with video)
They donned scuba gear to follow the salmon, which seemingly swim through mountains near Bella Bella
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Acta Carsologica
Karst
areas occupy 10-20 % if ice free land.
Dissolution of rock by natural waters has given rise to specific
landscape and underground. Karst surface features and caves have
attracted man's curiosity since the dawn of humanity and have been a
focus to scientific studies since more than half of milenia.
Acta
Carsologica publishes original research papers and reviews, letters,
essays and reports covering topics related to specific of karst
areas. These comprise, but are not limited to karst geology, hydrology
and geomorphology, speleology, hydrogeology, biospeleology and history
of karst science.
~~~~~~~~~~
Speleo ... Caving.... Link Curated by
PAUL
*********************
Management of Karst Resource Features on Northern Vancouver Island
April 2, 2014
