Due to severe wildfire damage in areas of the Thompson Okanagan and one area in the Kootenays, 15 motor-vehicle closures under the Motor Vehicle Prohibition Regulation of the Wildlife Act are in effect.
The closures affect back-country roads across approximately 536,000 hectares, and are due to the following concerns: wildfire impact to habitats that need time to recover-erosion of charred soils and impacts to fish habitat-increased vulnerability of wildlife due to migration disruptions, habitat loss and improved sightlines for hunting where vegetation was burned.-increased access to wildlife habitat due to the construction of approximately 2,900 kilometres of fire guards.
Some exceptions to these prohibitions will be provided to ensure that throughfares remain open and access to private property is not affected.Maps of the area, including downloadable georeferenced maps, are available at: www.gov.bc.ca/motorvehicleprohibitions
