Despite receiving approval from Castlegar city council to put a disc golf course in Kinnaird Park, a local society has had to change its plans.
Last September, the city gave the Kootenay Rockies Disc Golf Society its blessing to establish a course in Kinnaird.
But that hinged in part on a biologist’s report on species at risk. The report, completed at the end of October, found western screech owl had been sighted in the forest the disc golfers hoped to use.
According to the group’s Patrick Audette, they were surprised to learn their plan to clear some underbrush would have been “detrimental to what a screech owl uses for hunting.”
Originally they thought that taking down dead or dying trees would have had the bonus of reducing the park’s wildfire risk.
“We figured that if we cleared some of these dangerous trees, it would be a win-win,” he said. “We could make the forest safer and clear out some fairways, and it would be a natural sort of development to put disc golf in there.”
But Audette said once they received the biologist’s report, they decided to look for another site. They met with the Regional District of Central Kootenay and did a presentation to the recreation commission.
This month, the commission passed a motion of support to allow the society to make plans to use Pass Creek Park. The society had previously looked at the site. Audette says they believe they can put a nine-hole course on the east side.
While it wasn’t their first choice, Audette says there is “quite a bit of potential” at Pass Creek, which has other recreational uses including a soccer pitch and a ball field. He said they won’t have to do much clearing of trees either.
The downside is that it will mean a delay of at least a year. Audette said they will have to fundraise and write grant proposals for the Pass Creek site, but they remain determined to bring disc golf to Castlegar. Courses already exist in Oasis, Rossland, Grand Forks, Balfour, Ymir, and near Fruitvale.
