Urgent: Please Comment on the Government Hunting Survey

The Mayne Island Conservancy is asking its members and concerned community members to respond to the Government of BC’s survey regarding hunting regulations on Mayne Island. The deadline to respond to the survey is midnight on January 23.

While the survey asks respondents to choose one of three options, we are asking that you not choose one but instead select “Neutral”, and then you will be able to submit a comment.

The Mayne Island Conservancy’s position is that none of the three options provides a sustainable solution to the overabundant deer population. 

If you agree with our position, we ask that you submit a comment that reflects our analysis of the impact of the deer population on Mayne. The Mayne Island Conservancy outlined in detail its analysis in a letter to the BC Government in October 2021 – the highlights of which are here for you to use:

• The Mayne Island Conservancy feels that urgent, sustained, and meaningful action is required by the Government of BC to reduce the Fallow Deer population on Mayne Island.
• Without aggressive action by the Government of BC, the natural environment on Mayne will continue to be destroyed by the overabundant deer population. 
• The Government of BC has a responsibility to take leadership on this issue since it  permitted the commercial operation of a Fallow Deer farm on Mayne in the late 1980s.  

To participate in the Government survey, you must have a BASIC BCeID. Once registered, follow the instructions to choose Hunting and then choose Mayne Island.

Here is how to comment.

The commenting process that the Government has laid out involves multiple steps. Here’s the overview:

1. Go to this site. https://apps.nrs.gov.bc.ca/ahte/ It will tell you that you need a BCeID to comment. The link to the BCeID login is on the page.
2. Create your BCeID if you don’t have one; if you do have one, sign in. (BCeID is a general government login account to access a variety of government services. The “Basic” version should suffice for this purpose.)
3. Once signed in, navigate back to the original page https://apps.nrs.gov.bc.ca/ahte/
4. Click on Hunting in the top menu
5. Scroll down the page to Mayne Island – Hunting
6. We are asking you to click on “neutral” and add a comment that emphasizes the Government’s responsibility to take leadership on this issue.
7. If you can’t see the “neutral” choice, the site may not have logged you in properly. Check the login link at the top of the page and log in again if you need to.

Thank you very much for your action on this important issue.

The Mayne Island Conservancy Society Board and Staff