Bank’s Island on the outer coast

Proposal for cut in Small Business’ Development Plan

A Critique

 

Summary interpretation: An experiment that deserves support but requires close scrutiny

 

Article also uses Landsat images to interpret Mid-Banks watershed Unit.

And then looks at proposal details using MOF provided materials.

 

Banks

Typical Hecate lowland (HEL) eco-province- The earlier MOF operability map (left) saw nothing on Banks, but a few small helicopter logging shows.

What changed?

 

 

Big Picture - Landscape level

The LandSat image does not suggest any recent forestry activity in the area. The red circled lake is on the north side of charted area.

The SW side of lake shows the ‘cut’ the logging roads follow. Note the SB material states the circled cutblock (below) has been “sold” And a built road is shown on maps

Other Values—Commercial Marine uses

 

On left shows Herring & sea cucumber fisheries close by, Offshore is groundfish and to North end is salmon fishery.

Map right shows numerous salmon streams in area.

Note too that DFO has divided Banks island into 3 separate watersheds on this map. Which suggests something special is being factored in. I am told many CMT (culturally modified trees) are in area suggesting use by Tsimshian over long period

 

 

A Closer Look at Mid-Banks Watershed Unit —

 

A more Complex picture emerges

When only the streams and lakes looked at, we begin to see the site chosen by MOF is not typical HEL but one of few watersheds that are not filled with small pools (scars) left from last glaciation.

Compare 1&2 with the green colored watershed.

Looks like the more exposed west side is pock marked; and a small area on more protected eastern side island has more productive ecosystems

 

Using LandSat to interpret the Watershed unit—scale about 7.8 miles wide—

The right image has the contours and streams superimposed –

Note Mount Gransell which has 600 meter contour.

A preliminary hypothesis why some DFO ecologist divided off “Mid Banks” now emerges: the elevated, protected eastern margin contrasts with the flatter, exposed northern and southern sections.

Thus we could predict any over-wintering mammals would be reliant upon Mid Banks. We might also expect nesting marbled murrelets to be in this area if they are on the Island.

 

 

 

For SB Propsoal continue---

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