Off-roaders set for fight over wilderness trail ban
Off- highway vehicle users are ramping up opposition to the government’s decision to phase out off-road use in southern Alberta, but the premier is defending the decision.
Approximately 600 people attended a town hall meeting in Bellevue on Tuesday to talk about the plans for the Castle wilderness area and at least as many are expected to rally in Lethbridge’s Galt Gardens on Saturday.
“The economic impact is going to be huge here,” said Gary Clark, president of the Crowsnest Pass Quad Squad.
“Crowsnest Pass doesn’t have any industrial base — we rely on tourism.”
He said OHV groups have two petitions circulating at the moment, both of which are at their booth at Calgary’s Boat and Sportsman’s Show at the BMO Centre this weekend.
One petition requests clearer wording on the government’s public survey on off-highway vehicle use while the other calls for continued use of trails in the area.
In January, the province announced boundaries for two protected areas in the southwest with plans to phase out off-highway use over five years.
The Castle Wildland Provincial Park and the new Castle Provincial Park will preserve just over 1,000 square kilometres.
Despite opposition from offhighway groups, Premier Rachel Notley said Thursday the decision is in the best interests of Albertans.
“You know, when you have pas- sionate belief, you’re not always going to have consensus but the absence of consensus can lead to action as well, because not doing anything means we’re making a decision which may result in being too far along to actually choose to save the area.
“Ultimately, after looking at the science and hearing from the experts, we knew that’s what we had to do.”
But Clark said there needs to be a balance between environmentalism and recreation. He maintains that can be accomplished with a designated trail system and heavy fines for abusers.
“What we’re calling for is to be allowed to ride in some designated trails in low environmental impact areas.”
Both Notley and Environment Minister Shannon Phillips say when the trails are phased out, other provincial lands will be made available for motorized recreation.
Brent Hodgson, president of the Alberta Off Highway Vehicle Association, is “deeply disappointed” with the decision, saying it is a complete reversal from what they were told.
“OHV users, and all Albertans, are ready for the difficult conversations the government has called for but make no mistake — we want to see some meaningful action out of them rather than political posturing at our expense.”
While off-roaders are rallying, landowners and environmentalists are celebrating.
“I support protecting the Castle Wilderness from unnecessary wear and tear by OHV use because it’s far more important to protect our invaluable headwaters from further degradation that we cannot afford,” said Cody Spencer, a rancher and owner of Lethbridge-based Sweetgrass Bison.