restricted access to Chat Hill in the Pend d'Oreille

[Carolee Colter]

Last spring the old fallen down fence at the bottom of Chat Hill was replaced with a strong, secure fence, locked gate, video cameras and No Trespassing signs. The property belongs to Teck. This is a discouraging development because the walk up Chat Hill at different stages in the spring displays the waves of arriving migrants, with wonderful vistas and soundscapes, and above all, it's the most reliable place east of the Okanagan for hearing and seeing Yellow-breasted Chats.

Last summer I talked to two women in a truck from Okanagan First Nation who had just driven out of the gate. They were conducting research on Chats. They had permission for their research, though it had been arranged by others so they didn't know details.

Yesterday I called the phone number posted on the gate and got referred to the legal department where I left a message. This morning I got a return call from Michele, who was sympathetic but pretty much dashed my hopes of getting access.

Teck does not ask people to sign waivers. Instead you must get a letter of permission from Teck, and to get that either each individual needs to purchase their own insurance or they must belong to a registered society that has insurance--and the insurance has to be for $5 million dollars. I could see how a First Nation or an organization funding research would have such insurance, but for a bunch of unaffiliated birders this seems like an impossible barrier. Michele did not know the cost of such a policy or how one might purchase it or if it would be possible to purchase a policy for just one day. 

In spite of this discouraging news, she left the door open. She will send me maps of Teck territory so I could identify the area we'd want to go, and she will send a detailed explanation of the process for getting access. And she said she'd raise the question with people in her department about whether there might be any alternatives for people like us. 

I will keep this listserve posted if I find out any more useful information or if there is any action we could take collectively to allow access. 

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Carolee Colter
P.O. Box 1055
Nelson, BC VIL 6H3
Canada
(250) 505-5166 phone