ATV Frontier - ATV Forums, News, Reviews, Chat, Maps, Classifieds and More › News

ATVF Main Menu

Home

Top 10

Topics

News

Surveys

Community

Calendar

Forums

Members

Your Account

Web

Links

Communication

Submit News

Tell a Friend

Shoutblock

News › Why ATVs belong in the backcountry

Parks and protected areas in Canada are off limits to motorized recreational users. The backcountry in those parks is reserved for our woodland creatures and for the exclusive use of the young and healthy who are still able to carry their needs in a backpack.

The past 20 years have seen an incredible number of new protected areas created in the Canadian Rockies. In BC 12.5% percent of the land base is "protected" federally or provincially, over 16% in the East Kootenay region. In Southern Alberta, we recreate in a public forest only 20 miles wide and 100 miles long. A park produces less economic benefit per hectare than almost any other land classification. How much more park do we need?

Motorized recreational use of public lands is an important economic industry for the Crowsnest Pass, Alberta. Our abundance of accessible trails, variety of terrain and wildlife found in the Bow Crow Forest is a significant draw for motorized recreational users, year round. All terrain vehicles (ATV or quad) and snowmobiles have increased in popularity to over 60,000, in Alberta, by 2001. That is a $400 million infusion into Alberta�s economy by direct sales alone (Canadian All Terrain Vehicle Distributors Council). This figure does not take into consideration spin off industries such as tourism and other services.

Snowmobilers stay at motels, hotels and cabins, eat at restaurants, purchase condos and real estate. The winter recreational season lasts from December through April (conservatively). An economic study done by B.C. Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce & Snowmobile Association during the 2000/2001 year estimated winter tourism from snowmobile recreationalists contributed $7 to $11 million to the local economy. It was found that volunteer trail passes alone brought $80,000 into the community. ATV enthusiasts usually operate in the remaining months of the year.

While the summer recreationalists may not spend as much on lodging, as they often bring their summer homes, RV�s and trailers with them. They still purchase groceries and gas, as well as frequent restaurants, stores and movie theatres. Next to mining & logging, these recreationists are our next largest source of revenue. Quads and snowmobiles impact our economy enormously, both provincially and regionally. Closure of riding areas would adversely affect communities that rely on motorized tourism.

Without motorized access, the backcountry wilderness would be unattainable for young families, the physically challenged and elderly. ATV�s provide a means of access to our favorite lake or stream to fish and swim in; a visit to an airplane crash site or an opportunity to marvel at the amazing 360-degree view atop a mountain peak. We can reconnect with our natural environment and educate our children about our valuable resource. Why should access to stocked alpine lakes, diverse wilderness areas and sights of wildlife be limited only to the young and the elite? Some of my fondest memories, include family quad trips to the helicopter pad on top of the Livingstone Range, watching the kids jump off a cliff, with the use of a zip line, to splash into a man-made waterhole at an abandoned mine on a hot summers day and building bridges across fast running creeks to get to a mountain top alpine lake. These are places that would be inaccessible to our families without our quads.

ATV�s and snowmobiles are the preferred method of transportation in the backcountry wilderness. Used by industry, law enforcement, ranchers and conservation authorities, they allow individuals access for a variety of reasons. The convenience of travel over considerable distance in short periods of time is one reason quads and snowmobiles are such popular recreational activities. A short ride into the backcountry is a leisure pursuit of choice not much different than a round of golf or down hill ski-ing. It is a social activity, an opportunity to �go someplace and see something� as a weekend hobby and a break from our 40-hour working lives. With our general population in Canada aging, many of our older generation and baby boomers are still actively engaged in hunting, fishing and trapping, which is our cultural heritage.

Provincial regulations are in place to ensure management of our wildlife, license and registration of big game hunters and anglers to pursue their sport. Hunting and fishing is an acceptable industry in Canada and are another source of tourism. Guide outfitters rely exclusively on this industry for their livelihood. An OHV allows an individual to travel longer distances to access their favorite hunting territory; it is also a means to transport their game out of the wilderness. Those who do not hunt enjoy the opportunity to simply view wildlife in their natural environment. There is much controversy with regard to the effects of motorized recreational vehicles on wildlife. The amount of scientific studies on the effects snowmobiles and ATV�s on animals boggles the mind. It is easy to draw from only those studies that will convince your audience of your point of view. Statistics can be manipulated to say what you want them to say.

Of course, being a proponent of motorized recreation let me introduce you to a study by Martha Tomeo. She measured levels of a stress hormone known as glucorcoticoids in moose droppings collected in the winter of 1998 at five Alaska locations: Peters Creek inside Denali National Park, three spots in Anchorage. The Park Moose were the least stressed, and the moose in a foot park (Kinkaid) with skiers and runners were the highest. Moose around snowmobiles and in midtown were lower than in the foot park. The theory being the element of surprise, those humans on foot were more unpredictable than those on machines. Could it be that animals had become accustomed to snowmobiles on certain trails? Or did the moose simply avoid snowmobiles, because they could hear them approach? An excellent website to investigate a number scientific studies and links to more information can be found at http://www.montanatws.org/

As a quad and snowmobile operator, I have never seen another rider harass an animal with their vehicle. I have had the good fortune to see a large variety of animals including bear, moose, wolves, deer, elk and lynx while trail riding. These animals did move out of the area, all except for the bear, in which case, the riders removed themselves from the immediate vicinity!

Some individuals use horses to access the Bow Crow Forest and there is evidence horses can cause more damage to trails than quads and snowmobiles. Snowmobiles produce less than one pound per square inch (lb/sq in) of pressure on a trail, which is even further reduced by an intervening blanket of snow compared to a horse. Horses have been found to exert eight lbs./sq. in. while quads were even less at one and a half lbs./sq. in. (International Snowmobile Association Fact Book � June 2000). That is not to say horses should not be used on existing trails. Rather it is an argument that OHV are not as detrimental to the environment as some groups would have us believe. Motorized recreational users are responsible backcountry operators and strive to reduce our impact on the environment. With limited number of existing trails available, we need to maintain and improve them by hardening and repairing damage before the trail is impassable. We believe that motorized recreation users respect the areas they recreate in. With increased pressure on a finite trail system; we do recognize a need for long-range access management. A current inventory assessment of existing trails is underway in the Southern Rockies region to ensure safe, well mapped, shared trails. Identification of problems or damaged trails due to overuse, erosion, poor drainage is necessary to facilitate repairs and improvements. Education is an essential tool for teaching backcountry recreationists safe riding practices and how to minimize our impact on our limited riding area. Sustainability is the key.

The Crowsnest Pass Quad Squad is the only ATV club south of Calgary. We promote family oriented fun, safety, and responsible backcountry use (please visit our website www.cnpquadsquad.com). The majority of our membership is over the age of 50. Our club focuses on the conservation of our environment and is proactive in the improvement of multi-use trails and installation of bridges over fish-bearing streams. We want our children to have the future use of our trails. Because we access the backcountry in a different manner does not mean we have less respect for it. We encourage cooperation among all user groups to protect our recreational area. If we are not protecting public land for the public, then who are we protecting it for?

Posted by gadzuk on Thursday, August 07, 2003 (16:00:01) (1327 reads)

"Why ATVs belong in the backcountry" | Login/Create an Account | 0 comments

The comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content.

Recent Forum Posts

Topics	Replies	Forum	Last Post
alighnment on a traxter	4	Can-Am \| Bombardier	Mar 20, 2010 at 13:43:16 jboogstraxter500
ride ar maclean on sunday the 21 st of march!	3	Rebels	Mar 20, 2010 at 03:42:54 marksommer
Powder coating in Calgary	11	Blacksmith	Mar 20, 2010 at 02:31:45 drop.the.hammer
Skid plates	11	Rebels	Mar 20, 2010 at 02:17:42 drop.the.hammer
AGAIN sorry for the short notice	0	Rebels	Mar 20, 2010 at 01:22:59 srpiasta
Anyone up for a ride sat mar 20 @ burnt timber	3	Rebels	Mar 19, 2010 at 22:53:10 bruteforce05
OL Max Replacement Rear brake line	0	Can-Am \| Bombardier	Mar 19, 2010 at 22:25:49 Outty-J.J.
DALTON CVT KIT	6	Import & Mini ATVs	Mar 19, 2010 at 20:55:35 Earthmover
March 27 club ride McLean Creek	20	Calgary ATV Riders	Mar 19, 2010 at 20:55:02 drop.the.hammer
possible scourse spareparts!	4	Import & Mini ATVs	Mar 19, 2010 at 16:50:15 AMACHINES

Forum Index | Posts Since Last Visit | Unanswered Posts | Forum Search