Wildfire crews cutting danger trees (Photo Credit: Jasper Edge, BC Wildfire Service Rapattack Crew)
DANGER TREES REMOVED

Wildfire crews help with Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail

Jun 20, 2021 | 10:53 AM

Wildfire crews tuning up for the summer forest fire fighting season got in a little practise and helped out efforts for the Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail (SNORT).

Rapattack Crews spent a couple days this month completing danger tree falling on the developing trail.

Before the trail can be fully converted to a safe and viable non motorized tourism trail corridor, several improvements must be completed on various sections of the trail.

The danger tree falling that Rapattack crews completed this month is in preparation for machinery and personnel to start working on the rail trail line as capital funding is raised.

Meantime, work has begun on a test section of the trail through Enderby, with the maintenance to be cost shared by SNORT and the Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO).

“We also haven’t had a discussion on what that base level of service is going to look like. The amount of amenities like washrooms, those sorts of things, we haven’t really had that detailed discussion,” Spallumcheen Mayor Christine Fraser told the RDNO board June 16.

RDNO staff have also been instructed to bring a report forward for the 2022 budget discussions to determine the effect of maximizing the tax rate, in order to deal with erosion along the rail bed in several locations.

You can help build the rail trail by purchasing a metre at www.shuswapnorthokanaganrailtrail.ca/donate.