Caribou closures

[NoBrakes!]

drop the bucket to lose mountain segment. they'll probably run a more profitable business not catering to us at all.

 

[snopro]

When are the manufacturers going to get on board to help fund some fights? I have been dealing with closures in the North Shuswap for over 10 years as club president and now VP. I ride with the guy who owns GVP and he is really trying to help and has been talking about some way to get BRP on board to help. In the end they will be financially impacted by these closures so it would be in their best interest to help now. Look at the Change when the manufacturers started getting on board with avalanche education and funding.

All the manufacturers are involved. I laid into my DM about it one day and he told me all 4 manufacturers fund the backcountry lobby groups. They feel this is the best way to fight the anti motorized groups. The lobby groups are well versed in the problem and they feel they get a better bang for their buck funding groups to fight this. Plus it looks better if multi million dollar corporations keep their name out of the public eye so the impression doesn't come across that big business wants to destroy the backcountry. User groups are far less stigmatized in the public eye.

 

[fynnigan]

One of the things that is a very sensitive is the first nation component in the conversation in ne bc . The partnership agreement between the 2 fns and the federal government and provincial government has been approved and signed by all 4 parties last year. So that part of the conversation is over. The implications of that agreement are just now coming to light. It would be very difficult for any of the big 4 to come out and say that they disagree with something that is currently politically popular. Then there is the whole UNDRIP policy [united nations declaration regarding indigenous people] which is being adopted by the province of bc... public use of crown land is to be controlled by the fns. . There will also be a First Nation enforcement body developed and used to protect and patrol the closures

 

[Rene G]

...public use of crown land is to be controlled by the fns. There will also be a First Nation enforcement body developed and used to protect and patrol the closures

That doesn’t sound good

 

[Powpowpow]

Y2Y Region Boundary | Data Basin

General boundary of the Y2Y region; revised in 2013 as part of a project to revise organizational priority areas.

databasin.org

Establishing Wildlife Corridors & Habitat Protections in US & CA | Y2Y

The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative connects crucial wildlife corridors and habitats across the U.S.-Canada border.

y2y.net

its going to get worse, the greenies dont want people in the back country. alot of the areas will be closed down in the next 5-10 years

 

[X-it]

Sign the Petition

Withdraw current Winter Motorized Recreation Management Plan in the South Peace

www.change.org

 

[bendy]

Spread the word. Fill out the survey. Voice your opinions in the text boxes. Go down swinging fellow Pinepass Mountain riders! engage.gov.bc.ca/caribou/

 

[zal]

Learn more about Caribou Management

The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development is currently seeking feedback on Predator Reduction.

engage.gov.bc.ca

 

[bendy]

This is so typical that they'd release this feedback program in June. No traffic on the forums to accumulate numbers to help fight this injunction. I guess I'm just naive. Its not like we will make a difference even if we were ten thousand strong. I can't believe this is happening. I compare it to Revelstoke and it just seems that we are losing so much. They are basically taking away all our riding over 1300m. The good stuff doesn't even start until 1400. I'm devastated. I will keep forwarding this feedback program to everyone I possibly can. Riders, Family, Friends, co-workers and anyone willing to listen and help our cause. I seriously need to have a talk with my Higher Power... after all this is God's land!

 

[kanedog]

Y2Y Region Boundary | Data Basin

General boundary of the Y2Y region; revised in 2013 as part of a project to revise organizational priority areas.

databasin.org

Establishing Wildlife Corridors & Habitat Protections in US & CA | Y2Y

The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative connects crucial wildlife corridors and habitats across the U.S.-Canada border.

y2y.net

its going to get worse, the greenies dont want people in the back country. alot of the areas will be closed down in the next 5-10 years

The greenies love mountain biking. You wanna see forest and backcountry damage, check out the massive exposed roots of giant trees and destroyed ecosystem from trails. You just shake your head and think “holy crap, sleds do about .00001% damage that mountain bikes do.” And then a greenie rides over the roots eating tofu....

 

[bendy]

Besides the feedback program for the Pinepass... there is also a petition started by the BC Snowmobile Federation @ Change.org. Just search winter motorized rec management plan in the South Peace. Don't forget to share this info. Thx.

 

[LID]

Government caribou people (Y2Y has pushed into FLNRO) want Rady Creek Road in Trout Lake closed. This will close Foggy Day area and by the sounds of it they want to shut down the other zones as well

Here’s an online petition that could use some more numbers to help keep the area from getting ch!t down

Sign the Petition

Keep Rady Creek FSR open to recreational traffic

www.change.org

I’m not that into online petitions, especially at change.org but numbers count.

There’s another thread about this with some emails and phone numbers at the government

 

[bobsledder]

Rumor has it that the Quest riding area in Sicamous is being looked at and could be closed down. Last winter there were several temp closures up there with caribou. Anyone else hear any talk about that?

 

[oler1234]

Not just those 2.... now its legislation up here guys. This could be a staple mark for the future to come, a new front for the battle!!!

the first sign is brand new this year.... the second one has been around for a while.

 

[LID]

Here’s some more inside info

BTW, thanks to all who emailed or petitioned, apparently the government will meet with the TL club (which they did in the winter and never said anything about closures)

Here’s some more interesting info on where the trouble is coming from. As you can figure, some Y2Y type people


“Just to give you guys a quick note, we had some information passed onto us that the same Engineer in the Ministry named Mike Ferguson who is getting his jollies going around and shutting down and “deactivating” these old Forest Service Roads has now taken a run at the Columbia and Western Rail Grade. They tell us he has tried to condem and shut down the Bulldog Tunnel last week for no reason other than he does not want the Ministry and his engineering department to have to assume responsibility.

The BC Timber Sales staff are actually fighting him, trying to keep the Tunnel open for everyone and have allocated BCTS funding to do an independent engineering report on the tunnel and prove him wrong. (A very special thanks to the BCTS staff for standing up to this jerk, and wanting a good relationship with all the public)

We were also told Mike was standing on the McCormack trestle stoping and telling the residents and quaders that the trestles are only certified for a bicycle according to his engineering bible.

(allthough he can’t explain how Interfor found an Engineers plate welded on the side of one of the trestles confirming it certified for a train until 2040.)

From what we were told, the Regional Executive at the Ministry has gotten involved and refused to shut the Bulldog Tunnel down in the meantime, citing political pressure and probable fear of Katrine Conroy.

This is the same guy trying to shut the Rady FSR down in Trout Lake and about 5 other FSR roads also on his agenda. The rest of the Ministry staff are disgusted with him, it’s pretty common knowledge in the Ministry’s offices that he gets off on his jollies poking someone in the eye, and cutting the public off wherever he can on a power trip.

What they have on their hands is an HR problem in the Selkirk office. ATVBC and the rest of the Recreation organizations can’t understand why this “deactivation” issue is only in the Selkirk District office and not going on anywhere else in the Province. (Because they don’t have a government bureaucrat running around poking everyone in the eye)

The big question is, why is the District Managwr allowing these malfeasant staff to operate like this?

It seems like every-time this comes up somewhere, unless a pile of people write in and lobby the Minister to halt the BS, it’s doesn’tseem to stop. In fact the other Ministry staff tell us, it’s just a game of dancing around a few land mines, and hope Katrina Conroy doesn’t notice or find out, so they can get away with it.

An even bigger question is, why doesn’t the upper Ministry step in and clean these malfeasant bureaucrats right out one and for all.

If it’s not Rady Creek FSR or the Columbia and Western Rail Grade, sure as hell it will be something else not far down the road.

What some very, very, very good Ministry staff are saying, is that everyone should be writing into Katrine Conroy and asking her to sharpen up the axe and clean these 3-4 private agenda bureaucrats right out permanently so this can’t keep happening.”

 

[fynnigan]

You are absolutely right about some of these bureaucrats , but it is part of the culture at FLNRO . You must be a part of the green agenda to advance your career. I would like to add David Muter and Darcy Peel to your list of people who need to find other employment.There are to many unelected government people making decisions that will drastically change our backcountry access, and there is no loss for these people. They don’t work or recreate anywhere outside of the lower mainland. And if they do fail there is a very cushy government paycheque and retirement to land on. The hard truth of the matter is that when the final decisions are made concerning these closures ,there’s nobody there to represent our side of the argument.

 

[RGM]

Once those bridges, roads and tunnel are finished being used by logging they should transfer responsibility to tourism and tourism needs to get a bigger budget to maintain them. Forestry only cares about forestry.

 

[Modman]

Here’s some more inside info

BTW, thanks to all who emailed or petitioned, apparently the government will meet with the TL club (which they did in the winter and never said anything about closures)

Here’s some more interesting info on where the trouble is coming from. As you can figure, some Y2Y type people


“Just to give you guys a quick note, we had some information passed onto us that the same Engineer in the Ministry named Mike Ferguson who is getting his jollies going around and shutting down and “deactivating” these old Forest Service Roads has now taken a run at the Columbia and Western Rail Grade. They tell us he has tried to condem and shut down the Bulldog Tunnel last week for no reason other than he does not want the Ministry and his engineering department to have to assume responsibility.

The BC Timber Sales staff are actually fighting him, trying to keep the Tunnel open for everyone and have allocated BCTS funding to do an independent engineering report on the tunnel and prove him wrong. (A very special thanks to the BCTS staff for standing up to this jerk, and wanting a good relationship with all the public)

We were also told Mike was standing on the McCormack trestle stoping and telling the residents and quaders that the trestles are only certified for a bicycle according to his engineering bible.

(allthough he can’t explain how Interfor found an Engineers plate welded on the side of one of the trestles confirming it certified for a train until 2040.)

From what we were told, the Regional Executive at the Ministry has gotten involved and refused to shut the Bulldog Tunnel down in the meantime, citing political pressure and probable fear of Katrine Conroy.

This is the same guy trying to shut the Rady FSR down in Trout Lake and about 5 other FSR roads also on his agenda. The rest of the Ministry staff are disgusted with him, it’s pretty common knowledge in the Ministry’s offices that he gets off on his jollies poking someone in the eye, and cutting the public off wherever he can on a power trip.

What they have on their hands is an HR problem in the Selkirk office. ATVBC and the rest of the Recreation organizations can’t understand why this “deactivation” issue is only in the Selkirk District office and not going on anywhere else in the Province. (Because they don’t have a government bureaucrat running around poking everyone in the eye)

The big question is, why is the District Managwr allowing these malfeasant staff to operate like this?

It seems like every-time this comes up somewhere, unless a pile of people write in and lobby the Minister to halt the BS, it’s doesn’tseem to stop. In fact the other Ministry staff tell us, it’s just a game of dancing around a few land mines, and hope Katrina Conroy doesn’t notice or find out, so they can get away with it.

An even bigger question is, why doesn’t the upper Ministry step in and clean these malfeasant bureaucrats right out one and for all.

If it’s not Rady Creek FSR or the Columbia and Western Rail Grade, sure as hell it will be something else not far down the road.

What some very, very, very good Ministry staff are saying, is that everyone should be writing into Katrine Conroy and asking her to sharpen up the axe and clean these 3-4 private agenda bureaucrats right out permanently so this can’t keep happening.”

That's interesting....I know a guy that drives from up lake to the mill every day and has never come across anyone standing on the McCormack trestle.....I will let you know what I see in the next couple days . The rail grade is slated for a resource road designation. Also, the WCRTS and the Canadian govt have both done extensive work on the rail grade (including the bulldog tunnel) in the last few years, I doubt we will go down without a fight. I know I won't.

I'll do some digging and let you know.

 

[Modman]

Once those bridges, roads and tunnel are finished being used by logging they should transfer responsibility to tourism and tourism needs to get a bigger budget to maintain them. Forestry only cares about forestry.

Usually that's the norm, but its actually the opposite in this case Ray. The Rails to Trails has been a historic resource traditionally, and the Govt and user groups have been fighting with funding models for its upkeep. Now industry wants to take it over (and the maintenance costs) and relieve the govt of a burden.