Castle trails open to OHVs this year, province says
Off-highway vehicle enthusiasts will be allowed to continue to motor through the Castle wilderness this year.
Environment Minister Shannon Phillips announced that revision, among others, to the government’s Castle parks draft management plan on Wednesday.
“Off-highway vehicle users want clarity. There will be no changes to trail access in the upcoming year. We’ll provide that clarity right now. Instead, we will be focusing on closing the illegal trails and creating proper signage in the parks. We will work with OHV groups on planning and ensuring the existing infrastructure is moved or maintained as the years go on.”
But Phillips said the government is still committed to its five-year management plan, which calls for a complete phase-out of off-highway vehicles and random camping.
“We heard from thousands of Albertans responding to our draft Castle parks management plan. And a few things have become clear. Albertans love the Castle area. … The Castle parks are a part of Alberta’s DNA. We heard loud and clear that Albertans want to make sure this special place is protected for future generations.”
In January, the province released final boundaries for the Castle Wildland Provincial Park and the new Castle Provincial Park, which together will preserve just over 1,000 square kilometres.
Off-highway vehicle groups such as the Quad Squad and Eastern Slopes ATV Society responded, organizing a series of protest rallies. Another one is planned for March 4 at the McDougall Centre in Calgary. Organizers expect more than 1,000 people to attend.
“As part of the 165,000 registered off -highway vehicle users in Alberta, we are standing together at rallies across the province to let this government know that this decision is unacceptable,” said Micheal Dobovich, of the Rocky Mountain Dirt Riders, who said his phone was ringing off the hook Wednesday following Phillips’ announcement. “We will continue with our enthusiasm and our momentum. We want to be part of the solution; we are not the problem.”
Phillips also announced other changes to the plan based on ideas and concerns raised during the past two months of public consultations. These include maintaining northern access into the park from Crowsnest Pass to accommodate tourism, allowing hunters to recover game through limited use of trails, protecting fish populations, namely threatened bull and cutthroat trout, and continuing work on a formal grazing permit agreement with ranchers. More than $20 million will be invested over the next four years to improve tourism and responsible use of the area.
The public consultation period on the Castle draft plan has been extended to April 19 and Phillips noted that process is open to those opposed to the trail closures.
“They certainly have a right to express themselves however they like, however there is a process to make sure that we do trail planning that is science based, that is environmentally responsible and that provides those great high-quality experiences.”
Phillips also announced a new recreation planning process and a series of meetings to examine wider conservation and land use issues in the southern Eastern Slopes, Castle parks area. The first meeting is slated for March 8.