A resurgent wolf population in the Upper Pitt River could be endangered by eight small hydro-electric dams being built on the river's salmon-bearing streams, according to worried locals.
Back in November, the manager of the Upper Pitt River Lodge says he found wolf tracks and then came face to face with a small pack of wolves -- a rarity in the area as the black wolves were hunted to near extinction in the 1920s.
"Man, they were incredible-looking," said the manager, Dan Gerak. "Incredible. Their fur from their winter coats must have been six inches thick."
"We've got wolves we've never had for years. We got grizzly bears back and wolverines," he said. "Now they want to do this Run of the River project. Eight massive projects that will turn the area into a little city."
That project -- being built by Run of the River Power Inc. -- is a plan to put eight hydro electric dams on the Upper Pitt River.
The Pitt River valley is home to a lot of wildlife -- salmon in the water, eagles in the trees. Three years ago, the province re-introduced elk into the upper reaches of the valley, and the herd has doubled to over 40 animals.
The company says that the watershed is well situated for hydro power, and it has been logged for decades.
Forestry activities continue in the watershed today, and 95 per cent of the roads required for the project are already built, the company says, adding that the Pitt River project won't significantly compromise refuge areas or species of concern.
That's all talk to the people who live, work and enjoy the more remote terrain up here.
Steve Birchfield, a sportsman on the Pitt River, worries that the area won't be that remote any more if the project goes ahead.
"It should be left pristine, the way it is and the way it always has been," he said.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Peter Grainger
