|
OHV RECREATION MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP HELD IN
ALBERTA, CANADA
The NOHVCC's reach is becoming more
International
It's no secret that the National Off-Highway
Vehicle Conservation Council is primarily an
American organization, dedicated to providing a
positive future for OHV recreation in the 50
states. However, in recent years the NOHVCC
Annual Conference in March has begun to have a
more international flavor. In the past few years
there have been attendees from Canada and
Iceland, and the organization has had some
historic ties with OHV advocates in Australia.
This past December saw the NOHVCC take the
next step when they accepted a contract with the
province of Alberta’s Sustainable Resource
Development Lands Division (Alberta SRD) to
conduct an OHV Recreation Management Workshop.
 |
Canadian OHV advocates from the Alberta
Off-Highway Vehicle Association and the
Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada as well
and the Alberta SRD who had previously attended
a NOHVCC Conference were impressed by what the
organization has been able to accomplish on the
ground in the U.S., as well as the educational
materials and "tools" that are available. With
Canada currently facing many of the same
OHV-related issues in their country, such as
off-trail travel and trespassing, Canadian land
mangers and OHV enthusiasts felt that an OHV
Management Workshop would be a perfect fit for
the fall meeting of the Alberta SRD where
representatives from every Alberta SRD office in
the province would be in attendance as well as
leadership representatives from the OHV public.
The cost of the workshop was absorbed by the
Alberta SRD and was delivered by veterans Tom
Crimmins, Dana Bell and Jack Terrell.
“Protecting and creating OHV opportunities in
Canada is important to the NOHVCC,” explains
NOHVCC Executive Director Russ Ehnes. “The
challenges to OHV recreation are strong on both
sides of the border so it’s important that we
share what we’ve learned and developed in our
country so the Canadians don’t have to reinvent
the wheel.”
The normally three-day workshop was squeezed
into two-days to fit into the province-wide
workshop schedule. All 55 attendees, along with
the NOHVCC staff, roughed it out at the Elbow
Creek Ranger Station adjacent to the designated
McLean Creek Forest Land Use Zone OHV Area at
the base of the Rocky Mountains, about one hour
west of Calgary.
“After decades of work focused primarily on
resource protection, the Alberta SRD over the
past year has realized the critical need for
proactive recreation management that will
provide sustainable, safe and diversified
recreation opportunities in the province,”
reported NOHVCC Senior Project Coordinator Dana
Bell after the workshop. “The energy and
interest of the participants in how OHV
recreation can be effectively managed made this,
what I would call an ideal workshop.
Fortunately, the late fall weather also
cooperated. The snow-covered ground and subzero
temperatures that we arrived to melted and
warmed so that our field day was just pleasantly
chilly and the ground mostly free of snow.
Throughout the field site there were plenty of
examples of OHV management issues for spirited
and productive discussion.”
In addition, the Canadians have been
especially eager to utilize the NOHVCC Adventure
Trail materials. The Adventure Trail Activity
Book and CD-Rom have already been translated
into French by the Motorcycle and Moped Industry
Council, the Canadian version of the United
States Motorcycle Industry Council. Our Iceland
partners are also in the process of translating
another popular NOHVCC publication, Management
Guidelines for OHV Recreation, into their
language as well.
The objectives of the Alberta workshop were
to:
- Review Canadian sales of off-highway
motorcycles, ATVs and full-size 4WD
vehicles, rider and driver demographics, and
safety training programs;
- Review general and Alberta-specific
needs and desires of OHV and other
recreation publics;
- Improve the development, planning,
design, construction, maintenance and
management of OHV trail areas, facilities
and systems in order to:
- Better meet local and Provincial
requirements,
- Minimize impacts and improve
conservation of natural and cultural
resources,
- Reduce conflict between
recreational, community and
environmental interest groups, and
- Better meet the needs and desires of
the OHV and other recreation publics,
and
- Expand partnership development between
the OHV recreation publics, communities and
the Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
Lands Division.
|
