OHV users downplay concerns

Balance the key in the Castle, says Quad Squad president

Off-road vehicle owners are downplaying Alberta scientists’ warnings about protecting the habitat in the province’s new Castle River parks. But Environment and Parks Minister Shannon Phillips, responding to the researchers’ “open letter” issued earlier this week, remains confident.

“Albertans love the Castle,” she says. “They’ve repeatedly told us that we need to protect the Castle parks.”

That’s what 53 scientists are urging, based on a number of cited studies and reports. But Gary Clark, president of the Crowsnest Pass Quad Squad, says few if any of them have stepped forward to help restore the land.

“We were the first to physically do something to protect our headwaters,” he says. “We were the first to protect our fish habitat.”

Some of those 53 scientists, Clark says, have also signed open letters against pipeline and oilsands development. If the government acted on all their concerns, “Alberta would come to a stop.”

Fourteen professors and researchers from the University of Lethbridge signed the letter, along with scientists from across Alberta and beyond. It endorsed the government’s plan to eliminate dirt bikes, quads and other powered off-road vehicles over the next five years.

In response, the off-road group is proposing about two-thirds of the approximately 600 kilometres of useable trails be closed. Alberta needs a designated trail system for their vehicles, Clark urges, not just in the Castle but in other areas as well.

The government, he says, could “bring balance to the Castle area by sustaining proper trails on a designated system, and allow OHV use on a smaller scale.”

For her part, Phillips has indicated owners will be encouraged to use other locations.

“We will invest in infrastructure so off-highway vehicle users can still enjoy less sensitive areas,” she says.

Earlier this year, following up on campaign promises to protect the Castle area, Phillips announced the boundaries for two provincial parks. In her response to the open letter, the minister pointed to the impacts created by Alberta’s steadily growing population.

“A million people moved to Alberta in the past decade, leading to incredible pressures on southwest Alberta,” she said.

“We’re taking steps to ensure the Eastern Slopes are better managed to protect livelihoods, recreation and conservation.”

Phillips recently announced a $20-million government-backed project for the area which includes a water line to the Castle Mountain Resort and paving Highway 774 for the last 11 km to the ski hill.

“It seems they are ready to disturb the environment to accommodate some groups of users at the expense of others,” Clark observes.

What Albertans want, he says, is a balance between economic development, recreational opportunities and environmental protection.

But as the minister responsible, Phillips is listening to the scientists.

“Science-based decision-making will inform our plans for the Castle parks and surrounding areas,” she says.

“And we will work to protect biodiversity, drinking water and the natural beauty of the Castle area for future generations.”

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