Atv And Fishing Experiences

[Xplorer]

Hi everyone,

 

I was wondering how peoples fishing and enjoyment of the outdoors has been this year so far regarding Atv's and offroad vehicles.

 

I am not trying to start any atv bashing or rehash the access debates, we have all been there and done that.

 

I am part of an Atv club that is trying to make a difference and educate off highway users about the impact of their recreation.

 

So, I was wondering if it is better or worse or no different than years past.

 

Looking for any experiences good or bad.

 

I hope everyone has been having a great summer.

 

Thanks

Lance

[SanJuanWorm]

Lance,

 

I only ATV at Mclean and stay on all trails. I don't see much abuse other than long weekend crap.

[Xplorer]

Hey SJW,

 

Awesome to hear that you are atving responsibly. I thought you had a dirt bike for some reason?

 

We should fish quirk creek togther sometime.

 

Doh, hijacking my own thread...lol

 

Cya

Lance

[SanJuanWorm]

I sold both my dirtbikes to buy a quad. I still have a dirtbike but its a 73 BSA b50 MX and it will never see mud. Its mint.

[DonAndersen]

Spent the last 3 days playing around from the South Ram>north of Nordegg.

 

The Quadders, although all over the place in the south Ram area, seemed to stay to established trails. The horses, of course, didn't.

Heading home from Nordegg, we detoured north and passed Quadder camp after Quadder camp. Saw over 30 heading down the roads.

At the stream where we stopped to fish, 2 of the quadders turned upstream and ripped around in the water for a couple of hundreds yards. Several of the quadders parked in the stream and washed their quads. Some of them, rather than doing it by hand, drove around and around in the creek till the quads were clean. To be fair, only 5 of the 30 or so were an issue.

Every possible cut line or seismic trail was beat bare ground.

 

Gotta love 'em.

 

Don

[Taco]

Been thinkin' I need to lay a trap for the sonsabitches who like to cut new bypasses around deliberately blocked roads and trails... back country spike belt... I wonder how the CS will like the 10 K walk back to the truck

[tgo]

Other than making Racehorse murky in the late afternoon a month ago, never really had a big problem with them directly. I actually really want a quad because I think they're kick-ass and I know I would only use it in a legal manner.

[TerryH]

I was fishing the Carbondale a week ago, and there was lots of evidence of quads being driven in the river -- i.e. tracks going in, no tracks going out, at least not in the immediate area.

 

I haven't spent a lot of time in BC this summer, but from the time I have been there I didn't see this same kind of ATV environmental abuse. Am I mistaken in this -- i.e. is this kind of stupidity an Alberta thing? Terry

[NormanMcLean]

I was in a remote section of the Ram Canyon last week and saw sets of quad tracks and garbage on an instream island. The mind boggles.

[Hawgstoppah]

is this kind of stupidity an Alberta thing?

 

Not at all. Try going down to texas or Arkansas or anywhere south. Any little patch of public land is beat bare with atv tracks. The problem is the alberta government doesn't have the balls to step up and protect the environment. And BC's does (as much as we complain about fees and everything else, at least there DOING something!!!)

[mikefromsundre]

Quaders along Dutch Ck stopped and waited until I was done fishing a hole. When I talked to them they said they had a few crossings that were more gravel and always watched out for fisherman. When the did cross the did carefully and stuck to rock. Great.

Then on the Blackstone about 30 came from the north on the Chungo road, across the bridge and then charged into the river. They roared around cleaning their vehicles and then tore up a bank to their huge campsite right beside the bridge. I was sure glad that I was not fishing downstream because fishing would have been done for the evening.

I suppose Dutch Ck has more people around and people are more civil. The attitude around the Blackstone that I have seen is that it is the wild west wilderness and "I can do what I want."

[Harps]

Responsible use is common down here... unfortunately a small percentage of users are still causing alot of damage and making a bad name for OHVs every where.

 

The forestry north of the Crow (Allison, McGillvray, etc) is trashed. Lots of riders in the small creeks, lots of use.

The Quad squad is doing alot in putting good bridges in, but they are also opening up trails and basicly alowing riding all the way up watercourses to the head waters (Lynx, Goat, Lost). THere is still issues with revegetation and slope stability in the area from the fire too, which makes the issue worse.

 

Lots of use in the Upper Oldman, Dutch and Racehorse have some issues, Wintering Creek is bad, but the majority of riders (as most places) are good, at leat in the fore-country that I use.

 

On the lack of Alberta regulations.... the federal and provincial gov't need to step up.

From last summer on OHV use in BC:

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

2007FOR0106-000964

July 26, 2007

 

Ministry of Forests and Range

 

NEW LAW IN FORCE TO PREVENT ECOSYSTEM DAMAGE

 

VICTORIA - Effective immediately, people who cause environmental damage

to public forest and range lands through recreational activities such as

mudbogging will be subject to financial penalties and prosecution,

Forests and Range Minister Rich Coleman announced today.

 

"I hope this new legislation will stop people from harming the

environment by mudbogging or recklessly driving ATVs through sensitive

alpine terrain and range lands," said Coleman. "We want to encourage the

public to act responsibly on Crown land when they go out and enjoy the

great outdoors."

 

On May 31, the Forests and Range Statutes Amendment Act received royal

assent. The act introduced a provision that makes it illegal for

individuals to cause environmental damage. Previously, only industrial

users of Crown land were subject to these prohibitions. Regulations

deposited this week bring the law into effect, and update the definition

of environmental damage to include any change to soil that adversely

alters an ecosystem.

 

Under the new provision, individuals found to have caused environmental

damage may face penalties of up to $100,000. Criminal convictions carry

maximum fines of $100,000, up to one year in jail, or both.

 

"As a long-time proponent of off-road vehicle management, I strongly

support any steps toward increased protection of B.C.'s grasslands,

alpine and riparian areas," said East Kootenay MLA and BC Outdoor Caucus

Chair Bill Bennett. "Our public land in B.C. is an incredible resource,

and although I support motorized recreation and enjoy it myself, we must

balance motorized recreation with other values. There is room for

everyone out there if we use common sense."

 

Irresponsible use of off-road vehicles in ecosystems can easily damage

soil, the ecological foundation of natural areas. For example,

repeatedly driving or driving at certain times of the year in wetlands

can change the structure of the soil, making it difficult for plants to

take root and grow because of a lack of air or nutrients. In addition,

off-roading in wetlands kills birds and amphibians. Generations of

wildlife can be impacted due to a lack of plant life and clean water.

 

In fragile alpine areas and dry grasslands, off-roading can quickly

erode the thin soil layer so that plant life can no longer be sustained.

 

 

An information brochure, titled "Is your mud worth $100,000 and a year

in jail?" is available online at:

www.for.gov.bc.ca/hen/reports/index.htm. For photos illustrating damage

to ecosystems caused by off-road vehicles, please see

www.for.gov.bc.ca/pab/media.

 

The public is encouraged to use public forest and range lands

responsibly. Report any suspected forestry contraventions or crimes to a

local Ministry of Forests and Range office, or call Crime Stoppers at

1-800-222-8477.

 

-30-

 

Media

contact:

 

Jennifer McLarty

Public Affairs Officer

Ministry of Forests and Range

250 387-4592

 

For more information on government services or to subscribe to the

Province's news feeds using RSS, visit the Province's website at

www.gov.bc.ca.

[wtforward]

ATV's....The issue goes on adnauseam. First they need a place to ride and

unfortunately that current place is almost everywhere. There is land use protection

as Bob Scammell pointed out some time back under The Public Lands Act. But we

all know there is no enforcement. You would think with the embarrassing surplus

we are soon going to again discover that some of that surplus could be ponyed up

for enforcement. Zero tolerance for those few causing the damage should be swift

and severe. Read equipment confiscated and big fines period. I thought Morton

was going to get a handle on ATV abuse after witnessing the MacLean creek fiasco.

You can only hope. Doesn't the Streamwatch Program in the Blackstone area have any

jurisdiction for reporting of environmental abuse ?

Just for fun ....it should be mandatory that to qualify to own/ride an ATV you should

have to pass some fitness test say walking the NorthRam from the 'Big Rock' to the

forks and back with a 50# pack in say under 8 hours.

Seriously though when you see it happening take a picture, get license, place, date if possible and

send it to Morton. Pressure is the only way to get some changes. Don't give up.

Complacency never won a battle. Anyone know of a Alberta board were a person

could post links to say phot bucket which would catalog peoples experiences when

they are out an about. I am sure it has already been tried but might be worth revisiting.

Maybe we need a category on this site ? Legal issues ?

We post our fishing outings c/w pictures why not the 'other side' on a 'Trash Alberta' site?

[Xplorer]

Hey again guys,

 

Thanks for the info. It sounds like some are having better experiences and some are still not so great. That's better than all bad experiences I guess.

 

Terry H asked if this was an Alberta thing and I think he was refering to riding up and down creeks. I don't understand why people do this, crossing a creek is one thing but riding around in it like an idiot is something I have never understood. The quad squad has been putting in bridges and some people still feel the need to ride around it and go through the creek, so then they install fencing and people try to find a way around that too. I wish that there was enforcement to land on those guys with major penalties.

 

I was in BC this summer around Invermere and saw the signs posted on the trails around the lake Enid area stating the $100,000 max fine and up to a year in Jail for eniviromental abuse. The quads were doing doughnuts around the sign and they were having some kind of mud bog with there trucks in the valley behind the lake. I went down to the main day use area(where everybodys camps, even though it says not to.) and low an behold there was a BC forestry/fisheries truck there, when he was checking my fishing license, I asked about the quads, he said they weren't doing anything wrong. I like the idea of the law, but if no one enforces it, its useless.

 

We seem to have the same lack of enforcement here but here we have way more quads.

 

From 2000 to 2006 the number of new sales of ATVs in Alberta has increased 125 per cent from 10,400 units to 23,438 units.

 

Alberta had the highest number of sales of new ATVs in 2006 with 23,438 units. This accounted for over a quarter (26 per cent) of all new ATV sales in Canada, yet Alberta accounted for only 10 per cent of the population.

 

Both these numbers are from Canadian Off-Highway Vehicle Distributors Council. 2006 all terrain vehicle annual industry statistics report, for the model year January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2006.

 

BC only sold 8212 new quads in 06 yet have a population of a million more than Alberta. I am sure some of Alberta's sales are due to people coming in from BC and Sask to buy in a province with one tax, but not that many.

 

So is our economy to blame, do we Albertans have too much disposible income?

 

I don't know, but user conflicts are going to continue to happen, especially with another 22,000+ quads sold each year. They all want to ride somewhere.....

 

I think we need more user education(dealer when selling), enforcement and atv user groups putting back into the resource.

 

Sorry for the long read/rant

 

Lance