Severe damage to a popular motorized trail in the Mount Mulligan/Alpen area east of Valleycliffe is under investigation and could result in up to $100,000 in fines and one year in jail, according to recent Ministry of Forests and Range legislation.
The majority of the Forgotten Trail singletrack, which the Squamish Dirt Bike Association (SDBA) has assumed responsibility for as stewards, was altered for the apparent use of four-wheel all terrain vehicles (ATVs).
Photographs taken by SDBA president Scott Ellis show widened trail with fresh tree stumps and quad tracks through riparian areas. They show evidence of tree cutting and mud bogging for the widening and extending of the trail.
"You can't fix what these guys have done," said Ellis. "Every time I go in there I'm just sick."
Ellis submitted a complaint to the provincial Ministry of Forests and Range after coming across the damage on the weekend of April 11. A week earlier, Ellis came across a group of men on ATVs working on the trail and he urged the group to stop their work, he said.
"I'd love to say maybe these guys don't know what they were doing, but the fact is I caught them doing it and told them this is illegal and bad and we had a long talk and they just came back and finished it. I don't have any proof it's the same guys, but I'd be absolutely shocked if it wasn't," he said.
Others, such as District of Squamish trails co-ordinator Todd Pope, are calling for a quick and strong example to be made out of the Forgotten Trail offenders. Although the district does not have enforcement jurisdiction over the trail, which is on Crown land, Pope said a strong message must be sent to offenders. Trails around the province are under threat by users who are ignorant to the law or simply don't care.
"The blatant disregard of what's there, it seems like ATVs are becoming more of an issue lately because they're four-wheel opposed to two. And the thing is there's a lack of organization," he said, adding that there is also trail damage apparently caused by ATVs on other local trails such as Ray Peters Trail.
"I would like to see some enforcement go after them because my understanding is that they're [the Ministry of Forests and Ranges] aware of who it is and who has done it."
Ministry of Forests and Ranges spokesperson Don McDonald acknowledged the ongoing investigation but said he could not reveal further information because the case remains active.
But Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts (MOTCA) recreation officer for the Sea to Sky District Norbert Greinacher stressed that the offence should not smear the reputation of any one particular user group - in this case, local ATVers.
"There's always a small per cent of any group that seems to think they don't have to follow environmental laws," he said, adding that the trails management plan that is being developed along with greater signage for the area will cut back on offences.
