With the recent purchase of lands by the Osoyoos Indian Band from the developer, we felt it appropriate to get a bit of information that would be useful to residents of the area. AMCS approached RDOS Chair Pendergraft to provide some insight. 

Q – What’s the plan for the properties on Anarchist Mountain now owned by the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB)? 

A – It’s my understanding that the Osoyoos Indian Band has no immediate plans for the lands they purchased on Anarchist Mountain. For example, the Chief has indicated that the intention is to maintain the lands north of Raven Road as wildlife habitat. 

Q – What about the smaller parcels of land south of Highway 3? 

A – The recently acquired property south of Highway 3 now owned by the OIB includes some irregular-shaped parcels, including the wildlife corridors between development clusters, and most of what was to be the commercial area. I suspect that they are currently determining the boundaries of what they actually own, and only time will tell what future plans will be for those areas. There is the potential that the OIB may harvest plants and animals on some or all these lands and there are no specific ‘seasons’ that the band members need to follow. 

Q – Specifically, can residents hike or snowshoe on the OIB-owned properties? 

A – The lands are private but are not currently posted as ‘no trespassing’ and they have not yet determined if they will post this or not. All I can say at this time is that if anyone chooses to hike or snowshoe on the OIB-owned properties they should be respectful of the lands. Any disrespect will increase the odds that they will likely get posted ‘no trespassing’. 

Q – Did the OIB purchase the Summit Centre? 

A – The Summit Centre is not owned by the Osoyoos Indian Band. It was purchased by an incorporated company. 

A big thank you to Wendy Shah for getting these answers for us!