By Chad Klassen

Douglas Lake Ranch locked up gates after increase in vandalism, theft on property

Jan 17, 2017 | 4:24 PM

KAMLOOPS — The long-time general manager of the Douglas Lake Cattle Company took the stand on Tuesday at B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops, providing some insight into the history of the company and why it locked up the gates to Minnie and Stoney Lakes near Merritt. 

Joe Gardner said on Tuesday the company locked up the gates shortly after he arrived on the ranch in 1979 after it became vulnerable to theft and vandalism. 

The gates were permanently locked in the early 1980s, according to Gardner, even though exact dates are a point of contention with the Nicola Valley Fish and Game Club, the defendants in the trial. The club contends the gates have been locked since the early 1990s after it says the company started charging more than $100 to fish in the lakes. 

The club is being sued by the Douglas Lake Ranch for trepassing onto private property to fish in Minnie and Stoney Lakes, which it contends are public, as well as the Stoney Lake Road leading to the lakes. The club believes members have every right to access the lakes for their own recreational use. 

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The company believes differently, however, arguing the lakes — surrounded by private land it acquired as far back as the early 1900s — are rightly in its controls.

During his testimony on Tuesday, Gardner said the vision when he arrived was to make the area a world-class fishing destination, and over the years the ranch has put more emphasis on the recreational part of their business. 

The company feels fisherman accessing the lake by jumping the locked gate is trespassing, and these trespassers, it argues, is taking away from that business. 

Gardner will return to the stand Wednesday morning to finish his testimony as the trial continues into its second week.