As Cherry Ridge Management Committee members look back on 2023 and forward into a new year, it’s time once again to give thanks for what we have, review some very positive accomplishments and speculate on the months ahead.
A registered BC non-profit Society with a BC Community Forest Agreement, CRMC volunteer efforts and financial accounts are dedicated to addressing the challenges of CRMC’s environmental and social mandate in support of our local community. Given the dramatic impact on the health of our forests and watersheds in the greater Cherryville area and the province as a whole, from drought conditions, bug infestations, soil erosion, flood damage and especially severe wildfire events, those challenges sometimes seem overwhelming, but our volunteers are making a difference.
The sixth annual free S100 wildfire fighting training course and lunch held in June had 27 participants from the Cherryville area, with the cost of over $3,500 paid for from CRMC’s General Education and Community Projects funds.
Earlier in the spring, CRMC purchased of an F350 bush truck, equipped as a first response vehicle for fighting wildfires in the Cherryville area. CRMC is now helping to establish a new Cherryville Fire Watch group of enthusiastic volunteers as a registered non-profit BC Society, with ongoing training for members to be accredited partners in combating local wildfires, in partnership with BC Wildfire Services and the Regional District of North Okanagan.
CRMC is also continuing a long-term Wildlife Habitat Enhancement project in the Cherryville Community Forest, involving wildlife population studies and rehabilitation strategies for improved habitat in logged areas.
With financing drawn from the General Education and Community Projects funds, CRMC covered total costs of a summer canoe adventure trip for Cherryville Elementary students at Sugar Lake, learning environmental, paddling and survival skills in 10 tandem canoes and several larger voyageur-style canoes. Other donations and grants went to the Cherryville food bank, the children’s Christmas store, White Valley Community Resource Centre and three bursaries from the annual Student Bursary fund to Cherryville’s 2023 graduating students who are enrolled in post-secondary education programs.
If you have any questions about CRMC, current operations in the Cherryville Community Forest and benefits for the community, the CRMC web site is a good place to look for answers: https://www.crmc-cherryville.ca/ Scroll down from the home page or click on links at the top.
For the most up-to-date first-hand information, CRMC general meetings are open to all, the first Thursday of every month, 7:00 pm at the Cherryville community hall. Your local knowledge and your voice are necessary forces in our commitment to the BC Community Forest Association’s motto: Local People, Local Forests, Local Decisions.
May your holiday season be safe and happy. Best wishes to all for 2024!
Joyce Fleury, CRMC, President
