Response from GSMG about Ghost PLUZ

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giantjoe
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Response from GSMG about Ghost PLUZ

Post by giantjoe »

A month or so ago, I (me personally, nothing to do with the club) wrote a letter to the GSMG, my MLA, and Mel Knight the minister of Sustainable Resources Development.
giantjoe wrote:Dear Sir:

I am writing this letter to complain about the lack of a sustainable OHV trail system in the Ghost PLUZ. Recently there has been a report produced by the Sierra Club that inaccurately describes the land use in the Ghost PLUZ. The media has quoted this report multiple times which I fear will only lead to fewer singletrack motorcycle trails in the area. Additionally, I feel the GAMP and the GSMG have failed to fairly represent offroad motorcyclists’ desires to ride in the Ghost PLUZ. We need substantially more than ONE legal singletrack (offroad motorcycle) trail in the Ghost PLUZ.

Currently in the Ghost PLUZ, there is ONE trail designated specifically for motorcycle access. How can this be appropriate for an area that supports over a million people? Calgary has direct access to the area, and motorcyclists are all forced to ride in the McLean PLUZ as a result. Motorcyclists are being forcibly obliged to overuse this area because they have NO OTHER LEGAL PLACE TO GO.

The Ghost PLUZ is our only alternative access point, which only has ONE designated trail. Yet the Sierra Club reports it to have a “linear access density of 5km/km2.” This is not possible, how can you have 5km/km2 ? Most likely they are claiming that every seismic and forestry line in the Ghost that was ever made; regardless of when or how old it is or even if it's being used; is being classified as an OHV trail. This is not the case. Singletrack motorcyclists only have ONE legal trail in the Ghost PLUZ.

The Government has formed groups and committees to establish a trail system in the Ghost without success. The Ghost Access Management Plan (GAMP) and the Ghost Stewardship Monitoring Group (GSMG) have failed to meet their goals as specified below:

"to minimize conflicts between recreational OHV users and other users"
The GSMG has actually increased the conflicts between users in the Ghost by pitting Non-OHV users against OHV users; that has resulted in a deadlock which is blocking progress towards a sustainable designated trail network.

"to provide a range of opportunities for summer and winter recreational OHV use."
ONE (1) motorcycle trail in the Ghost is clearly not sufficient to provide a “range of opportunities”.

Please take my letter seriously. Please reorganize these groups and/or do your own factual reports to make your decisions upon. I urge you to support your taxpayers, and provide multiple sustainable singletrack motorcycle trails in the Ghost PLUZ.

Thank you for your time
I got a response yesterday from Peter Straub. It looks like writing a letter actually does something! Next step is getting the "documentation" for the trail development process, and maybe get someone from the GSMG to come to a monthly meeting at my favorite club?
GSMG wrote:Dear Joe,

Thank-you for your e-mail of Sept 29, 2011. 

On Oct 20, 2011, the Ghost Stewardship Monitoring Group (GSMG) had its most recent meeting and reviewed your letter.  We acknowledged your concerns, and generally agreed with your sentiments about the lack of a sustainable OHV trail system.   The Ghost Stewardship Monitoring Group has recently prepared an internal review and in it we have made numerous observations confirming your sentiments and anticipating the frustration you are expressing.

Recreational trail development and construction is not currently a budgeted item for Government of Alberta.  ASRD has clearly indicated it has no monies that it can devote to trails in the Ghost Public Land Use Zone. To that end, the committee has created trail criteria, proposal guidelines, and proposal evaluation processes for groups that are looking to develop durable trails in the Ghost.  Since creating those processes, seven proposals have been reviewed by the GSMG, and six of those projects have been recommended to ASRD, all of those are now underway or have been implemented. This is, however, just a very small step towards providing a sensible and sustainable trail system in the Ghost.

We do take your letter and your sentiments very seriously.  Please understand that the Government and this Committee currently not able to create your recreational opportunity for you.  What the GSMG has done is to create project guidelines, and users can choose to apply to create trails within those guidelines.  The one key message that we would ask you to take away from this communication it is that there is indeed a way to improve the trails and create the recreational opportunity you are seeking; it requires users like yourself to secure funding either from your recreational community or lobby Government to fund such projects.

We urge users such as you to become part of the process and join or form clubs to undertake trail projects. The GSMG are not experts on what your recreational community wants for trails. We need your input to develop a superior and effective trail system in the Ghost. As a registered society, you can fundraise, apply for grants, more effectively lobby governmental agencies and or access various other sources of funding to help develop the Ghost motorized trail system

In response to your comments regarding the Sierra Club information in the media, we are reluctant to comment on their numbers or sources of information other than these are not the numbers that the GSMG uses.  When making management recommendations on motorized recreation in the Ghost, we utilize the best available science often provided directly by ASRD and do not pander to perceived conditions in the region.

Finally, we will offer to have one of our committee members meet with you and or your club to explain the trail criteria and trail proposal process to ensure you understand our guidelines and how you might follow them to help us develop a sustainable OHV trail network in the Ghost.


On behalf of the Ghost Stewardship Monitoring Group,

Peter Straub, Vice-Chair
pstraub@gmail.com

CC:to

Martin Buckley, Chair
martin.buckley@mdbighorn.ca

Les Bon-Benard, Past Chair
les.bon-bernard@shaw.ca

Roger Meyer, ASRD Land Manager
roger.meyer@gov.ab.ca
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Re: Response from GSMG about Ghost PLUZ

Post by dirtyboy »

Nice :thumbsup:

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Re: Response from GSMG about Ghost PLUZ

Post by porschev »

Great job Joe! :applause:

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Re: Response from GSMG about Ghost PLUZ

Post by gdg530 »

Thanks for stepping up,great job Joe.

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Re: Response from GSMG about Ghost PLUZ

Post by DaveSimmons »

Well done Joe, your next mission should you choose to except it, is to sort out European financial problems.......good luck :applause:

Ps when is the next club meeting :blush:

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Re: Response from GSMG about Ghost PLUZ

Post by dirtyboy »

DaveSimmons wrote:Well done Joe, your next mission should you choose to except it, is to sort out European financial problems.......good luck :applause:

Ps when is the next club meeting :blush:
Joe always posts the club meetings on the home page

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Re: Response from GSMG about Ghost PLUZ

Post by giantjoe »

DaveSimmons wrote:Your next mission should you choose to except it, is to sort out European financial problems.......good luck :applause:
No problem... Sell the state owned property to nations that have harsh winters, we will come visit in droves, and heal the hurting economy. :thinking:


This wasn't supposed to be a look what I did thread, but rather a hey, you too can write letters and make a difference. How very Punk Rock of me; no?
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Re: Response from GSMG about Ghost PLUZ

Post by giantjoe »

Yay for a response, but they're not done with me yet...
giantjoe wrote: Dear Peter

Thanks for your response. It's nice to hear that the GSMG is serious about providing opportunities for my community. It would be great if you could inform me of the guidelines required to create trails this way I can assist the clubs I am associated with to build some trails! Perhaps you could even send a representative to one of our meetings to show us how we can go forth with a trail proposal?

Thanks
Joe
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Re: Response from GSMG about Ghost PLUZ

Post by giantjoe »

Peter Straub wrote:
Sure thing Joe,
I would be pleased to personally attend any club meeting, schedule permitting of course, and review in detail our entire vision, from trail planning, to project execution. I can give some hints for success and advise some pitfalls to avoid. Please let me know some options for meeting dates and times and I will be pleased to speak to your clubs.

FYI, I am the 4x4 representative on the GSMG, the chair of the Trail Sub-Committee, and for now, at least the Vice Chair of the GSMG.
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Re: Response from GSMG about Ghost PLUZ

Post by Dobi »

great work Joe, Peter is a great guy to get to come to a club meeting to discuss the GSMG trail processes.

A couple of disclaimers here - I am the ORM rep on the GSMG and also sit on the trail subcommittee and Cal is also a member of the trail subcommittee. I attended my first meeting as the new rep on the GSMG on Oct 20th.

The group (GSMG) wants to see "master plan" trail proposals for the area and have tasked us as a community to put together these proposals and to implement them once approved.

The RMDRA initiated discussions last summer on what this would look like and held a few meetings with Peter, and other user groups to see what this vision of a master plan would look like. I am looking for help in picking this thing up where we left it and dusting it off for a formal submission to the GSMG as a strategic implementation of a master plan. I will post a want ad for support in a seperate post in the next week or two.

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Re: Response from GSMG about Ghost PLUZ

Post by giantjoe »

Sounds good Mike. I figured I have done all that I can. It's up to the club now. Agree?
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Re: Response from GSMG about Ghost PLUZ

Post by giantjoe »

Look what I got today!
Calgary Nosehill wrote:Hello again Joe,

We have received some additional information about this topic from the new Minister of Sustainable Resource Development, Hon. Frank Oberle. May we please have your full address so Dr. Brown can respond in writing?

Thank you,

Sean Berg
Constituency Assistant for
Dr. Neil Brown, MLA
Calgary - Nose Hill
I must admit that I am feeling very positive about all this. I was really one step away from joining the freaks down at Olympic Place. My faith in democracy is not completely restored, but I think someone may actually listen to me if I put in some effort. Anyone reading this should try to write a letter about anything they're dissatisfied with as well. It really has helped mitigate my discontent.
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Re: Response from GSMG about Ghost PLUZ

Post by mb1 »

Nice work, this is yet another area that I am terrible at, with respect to my love for motorsports.

People like yourself don't get enough credit.

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