B.C. Hydro News Release
October 29 1998

HUDSON'S HOPE - BC Hydro removed 7.6 kilometres of hazardous, barbed-wire fence from around the Dunlevy Nature Trust property this summer to protect animals and people. The fence, located near Dunlevy Creek on the north side of the Peace Arm of Williston Reservoir, had fallen into disrepair endangering animals and visitors to the area.

"Almost half the fence was lying on the ground," said BC Hydro environmental coordinator Bob Westcott. "In that state, animals could have become entangled in it and it could have harmed people walking through the area."

The 681 hectare property was a privately-owned ranch with fencing enclosing portions of it. The property was purchased in the spring of 1990 through the Peace Williston Fish and Wildlife Compensation (PWFWC) program. The program is a joint initiative between BC Hydro and the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks (MELP) to help protect fish and wildlife in the Williston Reservoir and Dinosaur Reservoir watersheds.

"The property was purchased by the compensation program because it is an important winter range for moose, deer and elk," said Westcott. The property was then donated by the compensation program to the Nature Trust of B.C., a non-profit organization which protects wildlife habitat. The property is managed by MELP under a 99-year lease agreement.

The PWFWC program was created in 1988 to mitigate impacts resulting from the construction of the WAC Bennett and Peace Canyon dams. It is financed by earnings from an $23 million fund. In 1992, the program also purchased a 75-hectare parcel of land, located about 17 km west of the Dunlevy property, and donated it to the Nature Trust of B.C.

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