Safety in numbers, ever hear this before?
Never has it been more important for OUR sport.
In the last month, I have been in a battle with BC Forestry in trying to keep my cabin from being burned. It is a permanent structure I built 4 years ago for snowmobiling. A place shared by many snowmobiler's who love to ride the area.
BC Forestry/caribou wildlife study group is demanding we vacate the area. The initial stages of a reserve are soon to follow.
The fight has come to an end. I will have to tear it down or face fines of up to $20,000 and possible jail time. I didn't play coward and deny it was mine, I took onus and fought for it, knowing the penalties that were at hand. But its what I learned during this fight that is even MORE vital than a wooden structure in the mountains.
BCSF SUPPORT. BC Snowmobile Federation has a FRACTION of the support that it should. A FRACTION. This isn't hearsay or some guy coming on the internet to rant about something....this is the real deal.
After trying to get aid from local clubs, I was floored of my findings. I am going to speak of a certain club but know that they are not ALONE and that MANY clubs can surely attest to the following.
The area of Tumbler/FSJ/GP is where I am discussing. An area MANY of the members on this site use for recreation. An area where last year they had a WHOPPING 25 members of their TR Ridge Riders snowmobile club. 25!
I, like many, have had excuses as to why not to join a club. I don't ride the trails. I ride in an area where its free roam.
Since I am a fairly new BC resident, I was unaware of what the BCSF did for the sport I love.
How wrong can one be? VERY wrong.
If it wasn't for the clubs in this region, we wouldn't have MANY of the area's we currently "free ride". It is due to these clubs battling off wildlife reserves and other land acts, that WE riders still have access to countless free ride area's. 25 members last year.
25 members in a community (TR) where more people own a sled or quad than those that do not. An area were HUNDREDS of people from surrounding communities ride. HUNDREDS, MANY on here, ride this awesome area. Yet 25 members are fighting for it. 25 people went to bat for hundreds.
Safety in numbers....
When forestry considers an area for a wildlife reserve they DO take considerations of the people. Although no one believes this, they do. When looked at by their people sitting at a desk in Vancouver, numbers is what they consider. Numbers are facts. The fact is, only 25 people (on paper) in the area use it for snowmobiling. 25! Hell, we can allocate one mountain and that should suffice!
Guess what? THAT IS EXACTLY what is happening. 25 people don't need a whole lot of space, lets give the BCSF this little area here and protect the rest.
You think I am kidding, exaggerating? Make some phone calls, I dare ya! I dare ya to fight for our sport!
Safety in numbers....
Some of the questions/statements that many make, many on here:
I don't ride the trails, why would a pay?
The clubs have lots of members...
I don't have the time to volunteer...
I can't afford it...
The first two questions have already been beforehand answered. The last two I want to address. "I don't have time to volunteer". This may be the case for many of us, especially those working in the patch. You do NOT need to volunteer. Pay for your membership, ride. That simple. Of course volunteering would be an asset and greatly appreciated by those that currently volunteer but its the numbers that clubs need most. Without members...there is no club.
The last statement is one that I will never understand. "I can't afford it". Really, REALLY? The most you are going to pay is $75 for the year. That is a jug and a half of oil. Less than the boots on your feet. Less than the fuel for your sled over a weekend of riding. Less than the helmet on your head. Less than the suit you wear.....I can go on, I have made my point.
We will pay thousands and thousands of dollars to get into the sport but we won't fork out $75 dollars to enable us places to ENGAGE in the sport???
What's the point of having the sleds, the gear, if we have nowhere to use it?!
I ask a question.....
What if it was MANDATORY that with the purchase of a snowmobile, there was a fee of $75 that went to the BCSF, for every year you owned the sled? Would you still purchase the sled?
Pretty simple answer to that one eh?
We need to support our clubs. We as sledders HAVE to support our clubs.
If you ride the area, support it. These guys go to bat for us, the least we could do is have their back.
Safety in numbers....
Here is a link to the TR club, it doesn't get any easier to pay for a membership. Click on the link, pay. Simple. I am also attaching a link to the BCSF site where you can purchase memberships there as well.
Post up your support! Got my membership, do you?
Never has it been more important for OUR sport.
In the last month, I have been in a battle with BC Forestry in trying to keep my cabin from being burned. It is a permanent structure I built 4 years ago for snowmobiling. A place shared by many snowmobiler's who love to ride the area.
BC Forestry/caribou wildlife study group is demanding we vacate the area. The initial stages of a reserve are soon to follow.
The fight has come to an end. I will have to tear it down or face fines of up to $20,000 and possible jail time. I didn't play coward and deny it was mine, I took onus and fought for it, knowing the penalties that were at hand. But its what I learned during this fight that is even MORE vital than a wooden structure in the mountains.
BCSF SUPPORT. BC Snowmobile Federation has a FRACTION of the support that it should. A FRACTION. This isn't hearsay or some guy coming on the internet to rant about something....this is the real deal.
After trying to get aid from local clubs, I was floored of my findings. I am going to speak of a certain club but know that they are not ALONE and that MANY clubs can surely attest to the following.
The area of Tumbler/FSJ/GP is where I am discussing. An area MANY of the members on this site use for recreation. An area where last year they had a WHOPPING 25 members of their TR Ridge Riders snowmobile club. 25!
I, like many, have had excuses as to why not to join a club. I don't ride the trails. I ride in an area where its free roam.
Since I am a fairly new BC resident, I was unaware of what the BCSF did for the sport I love.
How wrong can one be? VERY wrong.
If it wasn't for the clubs in this region, we wouldn't have MANY of the area's we currently "free ride". It is due to these clubs battling off wildlife reserves and other land acts, that WE riders still have access to countless free ride area's. 25 members last year.
25 members in a community (TR) where more people own a sled or quad than those that do not. An area were HUNDREDS of people from surrounding communities ride. HUNDREDS, MANY on here, ride this awesome area. Yet 25 members are fighting for it. 25 people went to bat for hundreds.
Safety in numbers....
When forestry considers an area for a wildlife reserve they DO take considerations of the people. Although no one believes this, they do. When looked at by their people sitting at a desk in Vancouver, numbers is what they consider. Numbers are facts. The fact is, only 25 people (on paper) in the area use it for snowmobiling. 25! Hell, we can allocate one mountain and that should suffice!
Guess what? THAT IS EXACTLY what is happening. 25 people don't need a whole lot of space, lets give the BCSF this little area here and protect the rest.
You think I am kidding, exaggerating? Make some phone calls, I dare ya! I dare ya to fight for our sport!
Safety in numbers....
Some of the questions/statements that many make, many on here:
I don't ride the trails, why would a pay?
The clubs have lots of members...
I don't have the time to volunteer...
I can't afford it...
The first two questions have already been beforehand answered. The last two I want to address. "I don't have time to volunteer". This may be the case for many of us, especially those working in the patch. You do NOT need to volunteer. Pay for your membership, ride. That simple. Of course volunteering would be an asset and greatly appreciated by those that currently volunteer but its the numbers that clubs need most. Without members...there is no club.
The last statement is one that I will never understand. "I can't afford it". Really, REALLY? The most you are going to pay is $75 for the year. That is a jug and a half of oil. Less than the boots on your feet. Less than the fuel for your sled over a weekend of riding. Less than the helmet on your head. Less than the suit you wear.....I can go on, I have made my point.
We will pay thousands and thousands of dollars to get into the sport but we won't fork out $75 dollars to enable us places to ENGAGE in the sport???
What's the point of having the sleds, the gear, if we have nowhere to use it?!
I ask a question.....
What if it was MANDATORY that with the purchase of a snowmobile, there was a fee of $75 that went to the BCSF, for every year you owned the sled? Would you still purchase the sled?
Pretty simple answer to that one eh?
We need to support our clubs. We as sledders HAVE to support our clubs.
If you ride the area, support it. These guys go to bat for us, the least we could do is have their back.
Safety in numbers....
Here is a link to the TR club, it doesn't get any easier to pay for a membership. Click on the link, pay. Simple. I am also attaching a link to the BCSF site where you can purchase memberships there as well.
Post up your support! Got my membership, do you?
