Oplopanax Horridus

The BC Forest Practices Board's much-awaited report on forest recreation finally came out today: https://bit.ly/3yoj7sU. Recreation is part of the Forest and Ra...nge Practices Act (FRPA) framework and makes up one of the 11 FRPA values for which government may set objectives to manage and protect under the Act, however, it’s the only value without an objective which means that forestry companies have no obligation to consider recreation resources when carrying out logging activities on Crown lands. In the media release below we are making a call for a clear objective for recreation under FRPA as well as additional funding for Recreation Sites and Trails BC to increase their capacity to effectively plan and manage recreation resources inside and outside of designated sites and trails in partnership with volunteer groups.

As part of the Grouse Mountain Regional Park Trail and Site Improvement Project, repairs and upgrades to a section of the BCMC Route will start on Tuesday, May ...18. The BCMC Route will be CLOSED and there will be NO ACCESS while work is underway, both for the safety of the public and of crews. In general, work will take place Monday to Friday, but the trail will be open on Saturdays and Sundays. When the BCMC Route is closed, hikers are asked to use the Grouse Grind Trail or detour along the Baden-Powell and use the Larsen Trail (outside the park) as an alternate route to bypass the section under repair to connect with the upper portion of the BCMC Route. (Note: Downhill hiking is prohibited on the Grouse Grind Trail.) Trail work and closures are expected to last for about 10 weeks. To find out more about the Grouse Mountain Regional Park Trail and Site Improvement Project, go here: http://www.metrovancouver.org//grouse-m/Pages/default.aspx See more

This should be an interesting panel discussion New trails: the changing nature of hiking in British Columbia. Thanks, Vancouver Public Library!

There is an interesting bit of BC Parks hypocrisy here. I have a meeting to speak with senior leadership of BC Parks on May 20th and this is one of the issues ...I will be bringing up. BC Parks recently gave Cypress Resort approval to construct a mountain coaster inside the park (it's basically a mini roller coaster and each rider has control of the speed of their own car as they slide down the rail.) The advocacy groups objected to BC Parks approving the application without any consultation (we didn't even find out about it until after it had been approved.) BC Parks has a Ski Resort Policy for the three resorts that operate within BC Parks boundaries (Cypress, Seymour, Manning.) (https://bcparks.ca//do/ski-resort-policy-signed-oct30.pdf) That policy defines three categories of improvements. Category 2 improvements are minor and do not require public consultation. Category 3 improvements are more significant and generally require public consultation. The policy document gives the example of an alpine slide as something that will be classified as a category 3 improvement. "Development of an alpine slide, or similar facility requiring significant above surface infrastructure, as a new summer activity". BC Parks made the decision to violate their own policy and classify this project as a category 2 improvement which allowed them to avoid the need to perform any consultation. FWIW, I likely would have been supportive of the project with some caveats related to environmental impact and public access. At the same time this was happening, BC Parks was rolling out a day pass system at Cypress Provincial Park to limit how many hikers could access the trails. Advocacy groups are frustrated with the day pass program because we want the public to be able to enjoy the parks. Cypress has an extensive network of trails and once you go beyond the parking lot, crowding is not an issue. A lot of taxpayer money has been invested to build and maintain the road and parking lots and a number of the trails were significantly upgraded around the time of the 2010 Olympics. The Outdoor Recreation Council published this note today criticising the day pass system (and the process that is being used to justify it.) (https://www.orcbc.ca/feedback-on-bc-parks-day-use-pass-pil/) When BC Parks was pressed on how they were justifying the day pass system, they sent a document with this justification: "Visitor cap determined based on 60% of peak day trail use which is an over-crowded experience with choke points and crowding." Feedback to that justification has been negative. People who frequent the trails feel that this does not line up with their experience and there is no evidence provided to support their argument. Even if there were some some choke-points, wouldn't it make more sense to spend a small amount of money in one summer to permanently address them instead of hiring security guards to check for permits 7 days/week for every summer into the future? They've since performed an interview with a newspaper (https://www.nsnews.com//pass-system-may-return-to-busiest-) and expanded their argument. Now one of the key reasons they are providing for limiting public access to the trails is because: "Overuse of our trails leads to trail widening, soil erosion, damaged vegetation and altered hydrology." That doesn't pass the test either. They are describing common trail maintenance issues that are easily resolved. If BC Parks lacks the in-house expertise to maintain trails, they should employ some of the volunteers that maintain the expansive mountain biking trail network in North and West Vancouver. The processes and technology exist to build and maintain trails in this environment that can stand up to our climate and traffic without creating run-off problems. But here is the ultimate kicker... Cypress Mountain Resort published some pictures of their construction activities inside of the park boundaries today for their new mountain coaster. With heavy machinery they are cutting away the hillside in vegetated areas and creating a muddy mess. How is this OK but families in hiking boots on already established trails are a problem?