As mosquitos continue to create problems for people in Scotch Creek this summer, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD), the Little Shuswap Lake Band (LSLB) and BC Parks are working together to possibly restart the mosquito control program in 2023.
The CSRD suspended the program earlier this year after the Chief and Council of the Little Shuswap Lake Band expressed discomfort with potential environmental impacts resulting from the mosquito larvicide treatment. As stewards of the land, the LSLB are concerned about possible environmental risks.
Without including the areas of significant mosquito breeding habitat on the LSLB lands and the Shuswap Lake Provincial Park and campground, the mosquito control program would not be effective. As a result, the decision was made to suspend the program.
All CSRD mosquito control programs use a product called Aquabac, which is a soil-borne bacterial product that specifically targets mosquitoes in their larval growth stage before they hatch and is regulated by the Federal Government.
With the support of the CSRD, the LSLB is in the process of commissioning an independent study into any impacts Aquabac could have on the ecosystem.
“We understand the mosquitoes pose a problem for residents and visitors to the area who are looking to be outside and enjoy all the recreational opportunities. It is a difficult situation,” says Ben Van Nostrand, the CSRD’s Team Leader of Environmental Services. “However, we respect that all the partners in the program want to have their concerns addressed. We are doing what we can to try and resolve the situation for 2023.”
For more information, connect with the CSRD by email at operations@csrd.bc.ca or email Sylvia Andrews, Lands and Estates Manager, Little Shuswap Lake Band.
