BC Cattleman’s Association; 26 May 2017

The BC Cattlemen’s Association is pleased to announce that Trevor and Janice Tapp of Copper-T Ranch are the recipients of the 2017 Ranch Sustainability Award. Copper-T Ranch is located west of the Village of Fraser Lake and is an eighty head purebred, registered Polled Hereford operation. The Tapps accepted the award this evening at the BC Cattlemen’s Association Annual General Meeting.

“It is exciting to have our efforts to work in a sustainable way be recognized,” says Janice Tapp of Copper-T Ranch. “It has always been important to us to treat the land with respect. It is a really deep need to make sure that we are good stewards of the land…that the water sources that we have are protected.”

Copper-T Ranch was selected for the award because of their exceptional commitment to stewardship and sustainability. This is demonstrated through their efforts to protect water quality and develop a future plan for their ranch.

Water quality is very important because two creeks, Perry and Stern, flow through the ranch into Fraser Lake and part of the ranch is situated along approximately 1500 feet of shoreline. Since the community draws their water supply from the lake and it is a high use recreation area, the Tapps wanted to do whatever they could to protect the water quality. With the goal of keeping the water clean and having healthy riparian areas and streambanks, they invested heavily in restricting cattle access to all water sources on the ranch and completed three riparian projects.

The Tapps have ensured the future sustainability of their ranch by creating a partnership with Jamie Richardson and Bill Lloyd, along with their young son, with the intention that they will eventually take over the ranch. With Bill and Jamie on board, the Tapps have the fundations of a succession plan in place and have the confidence that Copper-T will continue to develop and advance.

Congratulations to Trevor and Janice Tapp of Copper-T Ranch on receiving the 2017 BCCA Ranch Sustainability Award.
 
Read The Western Producer article about Trevor and Janice’s award