I wrote an article last year about pushing harder to get a bike park built in town.
In the following days, I was made aware of a rant and rave Facebook page where many people were a bit upset, to say the least. A bunch of the comments stated thatwe already have natural bike parks based in the Beaver Lodge lands and the Snowden forest, so why waste time and money building a park in town?
I don’t necessarily agree with those comments, but that’s not what I’m rambling on about today. I do love riding out in nature, under the protection of the forest, enjoying the scenery, the smells, and the sounds. It is like a park and it’s an environment that everyone should experience.
Beaver Lodge is a perfect beginner to intermediate trail network and Snowden offers terrain suitable to beginners, intermediate riders, or professional athletes.
We are lucky to have this so close to town and as a mountain biker, as a parent, and as a business owner, I would hate to see Campbell River lose such an amazing asset.
Snowden is a demonstration forest, which means some road building and logging are slated in the near future.
There are many similar situations around B.C. In lots of areas the logging companies and the recreational users have worked together to save the trails, but if you’ve been in these areas, you have quickly realized how unpleasant the same trail is when it’s in the middle of a clear cut, opposed to a dense forest.
Without the protection of the forest, the sustainability of the trails is in jeopardy. Winters do far more damage without the tree coverage and in summer the trails dry up so much they become rutted-out dust bowls. It’s a great thing that the different user groups can work together ensuring that even after logging, we still have recreational trails, but I have to wonder, if we have millions of hectares of loggable** land in B.C., can we not try to preserve just the core area within Snowden?
A local gentleman has taken it on himself to get the core area of the Snowden trail network protected. He is putting in a huge effort, taking a very professional approach, and all because he believes it will improve our community.
If you are a hiker, a biker, a runner, or just someone who sees the value these world class trails bring to Campbell River, please show your support.
Go to the following link and sign the petition, and if you can find the time, come to the council meeting at city hall Monday May 7th when council will be discussing the Snowden report.
https://chn.ge/2JBqDra
I’m James Durand and I’m Goin’ Ridin’
**Yes, I did make up a word.