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The word that I have heard from some of the participants of the preview of the GAMP Plan meeting was kind of sketchy. They are obviously upset about what they heard.
Here is what I was told WRT our interests.
The GAMP plan:
allows for OHVs to travel only on designated trails.
showed very few designated trails on the map.
is planned to be in effect May 2006.
has only about 20km of single track for motorcycles and only up near Fallen Timber.
has only about 40km of double track for quads / motorcycles.
allows commercial interests (outfitters and ranchers) about 98% of Waiparous and private OHV users about 2% of the area.
allows for random camping only in designated areas.
My own small comments:
I haven't ridden Waiparous much, but where I have ridden I have ridden down a trail with a permanent sign that says "Simons Trail". The sign was obviously put in by our Alberta Government. Now the GAMP plan doesn't have even this Alberta Government established trail on their GAMP OHV map?
How can it be random camping if it's allowed only in specified areas?
Even hunters will be shut out of the area if they use a motorcyle or quad to access their preys' habitat.
Not good at all. Between now and September we need action or this will quietly become a reality right under our noses.
That is very disappointing to hear. This is my prime riding area. I know it very well from the South Ghost all the way upto Fallen Timber. How do they plan to enforce this?? I mean come on...it's a huge area. They have what, 3 or 4 people out there driving around in trucks. Realistically I will probably still ride anyway, and deal with the consequences(if they can catch me). I know this may be a bad attitude, but I'm not about to sell my bike and take up golf. This blows. I hope your prelimenary info is wrong DB.
I hope my preliminary information is wrong too. We do not plan to just roll over and let this happen. We have a lot of work to do between now and September. We need help.
Hello everyone. This is probablly not how i want to post my first time here (although i browse here since conception).
There was a meeting last night. All users now realize we sink or swim together. As a biker i just lost 90% of all riding in the Ghost Waiporous area. As a 4x4 enthusiast, i lost even more. Now is the time to work TOGETHER. If you DELETE my post, you have been completely mislead in the info you have. There is no differentiation between motorized vehicles. This is no longer a blame game, it is a motorized user problem. Let this post stand.
At the AURS meeting we all attended last night, this is what went down:
We need to have some common direction.
As i understand it and clarified it last night, i will now clarify it again so we all are doing the same things.
There are a lot of great ideas, we all need to advance all those ideas. There is nothing negative about having all your "ducks" lined up. So, getting pre financed building materials and hevy equiptment should be executed starting today. Those that have connections can proceed in that direction. It does not mean we have to build right away but at least we can have the ability to do that as things are lined up.
What can we all do? Bikers, quadders, 4x4'ers, fish and hunters, randomn campers, bicyclists, equestrian,etc????
Contact your MLA. The best way is a face to face meeting. Next best is a person to person phone call and finally a letter, fax, or email.
This is what we know
The SRD (the agency ultimately responsible for trail closures and access to random camping) has one very primary CONCERN........WATERSHEDS.
So, in your communications with the MLA's, we all need to be on the same page.
Do you know (and for that matter, does your MLA know) that the OHV industry generates 1 BILLION DOLLARS in business for the province?
Next we need to let our MLA's know that we recognize that watersheds are the ultimate concern and that we all understand and support any initiative that will save our watersheds. We (the AURS...tell them about this group) also are putting this up as our prime concern and are gathering all of our efforts to the materials and man hours needed to build proerly engineered bridges over the sensitive areas. We fully support the SRD in this endeavor.
Secondly, we as a user group are in full support of a user fee in the Ghost-Waiporous area. As a group we overwhelmingly support a minimum $100/year fee to all Albertans that use the G-W area to hike, fish, hunt, camp, bike, etc.
And finally, we very much need more enforcement in the G-W area. 3 officers are currently assigned to the entire area.
Of course, the start of your call, meeting, letter, etc is to inform your MLA that a first draft proposal by the SRD presented last Saturday to the various stakeholders shows an aproximate 85-95 % closure of all trails for bikes, quads and 4x4's. This of course affects hunters and fisherman as they will no longer be able to drive to their camps or to the prey they kill or catch. Same goes for equestrian and all other user groups. THERE IS NO DIFFERIENTATION BETWEEN ANY USER GROUPS>>>>IT AFFECTS US ALL!
Your MLA must know that random camping which Albertans (their constituents) love to do is being severly affected. All randomn camping is to be done 30m from any water source which is very much needed and we support. However, the SRD also states that random camping can ONLY be done in areas that are MARKED as random camping acceptable! In other words IF the campsite is 30m or more from a water source BUT it is NOT marked than you are not allowed to camp there.
What does this all mean? By removing 85-95% of all trails and restricting random camping substantially, we are putting all users in a SMALL place which will ultimately lead to incredible wear and tear on such a small area. This would spell death to the area.
Tom
You hurt? You just want to optimize your performance? Step inside...http://spinalguy.com
At this time i would like to ask you, the bike community, to send any and all proposals regarding water crossings in the Ghost and Maclean area. If you know of any crossing that has no bridge or a broken bridge , than the AURS needs to know. Why the AURS? Because they were formally recognized at the stakeholders meeting as the only organization that has actually done visible reclamation in those areas. They are the only organization that has put in countless hours and money every year in reclaiming and repairing trails in the Waiporous and Maclean area. The SRD holds them high as the major players in creating stewardship for those areas.
i am not on their board but i support them as i support any group that keeps me riding.
Please visit www.aurs.org and submit any projects that you feel would save the watersheds in Waiporous or Maclean. (ie, creek, crik, river crossings) You may have seen lots of new quad/bike bridges last season in the Maclean area? AURS was the main player in those constructions.
Some of you may have connections for bridge materials. Some of you may have skills or expertise in bridge construction that the AURS could use your help.
The AURS has 3 confirmed representatives at all stakeholder meetings. One 4x4, one ATV/quad and one bike rep. They are an umbrella group that started as a grass roots 4x4 interest organization that has expanded to include all users of the areas we love to play in.
Yes, the 4x4's are the biggest supporter of AURS but no other organization has done what AURS has for the benefit of all. Now is not the time to fight eachother, it is time to work together. We have our annual V-days at Maclean and Waiporous again this year. We now need you bikers more than ever. Sept 2005 is too close.
See ya on the trails.
Tom
You hurt? You just want to optimize your performance? Step inside...http://spinalguy.com
Thanks for the information about the meeting. The second post reads like a commercial however.
There are two umbrella organizations that represent motorcycle and quad interests in Alberta. The organization that we have chosen to represent the RMDRA is the AOHVA. They represent only the interests of quads and motorcycles or in other words they are fighting for the smaller size trails or double and single track trails. The AOHVA works for the smaller trails and therefore it doesn't have to balance the needs and interests of multiple groups and is able to remain extremely focused on the smaller OHV vehicles.
Simply put, if a motorcycle enthusiast wants to support the AOHVA, and they live in Calgary then they will join the RMDRA. If they want to support AURS then they will join an AURS club. AURS and AOHVA may work together on joint projects in the future however the two umbrella organizations are separate.
This is the RMDRA forum, again we support the AOHVA. We have joined and work closely with the AOHVA and as a result we will only allow the AOHVA to speak for us. The AOHVA is a good organization, is at the GAMP table, is part of the McLean Creek volunteer Organization, has been part of many reclamation / bridge projects and is working very hard on other initiatives to save the smaller trails.
Our board rules state that we don't allow promotion of other clubs and their web sites. I won't allow general advertisements for other clubs or their meetings unless it obviously benefits our membership. We only have about 50 members on this board so your posts will be much more effective when read by almost 2500 members on your own AURS supported board.
Two groups working towards the same goal cannot be bad. We fight the same war just in different ways.
I mean come on...it's a huge area. They have what, 3 or 4 people out there driving around in trucks. Realistically I will probably still ride anyway, and deal with the consequences(if they can catch me). I know this may be a bad attitude, but I'm not about to sell my bike and take up golf. This blows. I hope your prelimenary info is wrong DB.