Hundreds of people turned out to a meeting in Nelson this week regarding logging near Cottonwood Lake Park. Some ideas were discussed on Wednesday night about how to purchase the lands around the park which is located just outside of Nelson. Logging has already started in the area with more expected. It’s located along the Nelson to Salmo Rail Trail which is a concern as well.
Meeting organizer Andrew McBurney feels passionately about the park and describes it as a beautiful community resource.
“As we roll into Nelson, how that’s going to make you feel in the pit of your stomach for as long as all of us are going to be alive really. Driving along looking at what used to be Cottonwood Lake Park.”
McBurney says he wasn’t surprised about the turn out which saw over 350 people attend.
“I had a feeling that there was going to be this many people here. I could tell by what people were saying and how they were saying it; how passionate they were about this issue.”
He highlights private logging as a problem affecting many areas and feels it will only get worse.
In terms of the ideas discussed at the meeting on purchasing the land, he says we’ll have to wait and see how things move forward.
“I like the crowd funding idea. I think if you can get $50,000 and get that snowball rolling then the funds are there to really kick in, as Rik mentioned tonight, that $500-million federal grant which runs out very soon, we’re talking time here.”
The hope is to create a community group and purchase the lands from the private owner, but McBurney adds negotiations between the land owner and the RDCK seem like a good option and wanted to see it discussed a bit more.