Non Motorised Eyeing Up Chipmunk Again

tomcycle

tomcycle

Past President DSBC 2004 -2018
Staff member
I know its been a while since I have been posting but here I am again and right now the most important issue that faces off roading today is what the government is calling the Bridal Falls Proposal

Only problem with this new recreational land use proposal is, it includes Chipmunk, Thurston, Archibald and Cheam. All areas that we as off road riders have used over the years. Presently the Greater Vancouver Motorcycle Club is trying to get stewardship over the trails at Chipmunk but that is still way off in the future. As greatest concern to you as DSBC members is the potential loss of use of these Forest Service Roads, Thurston, Mercer, Chipmunk, Cheam and Bridal Falls. And lets not forget about our single track friends, the GVMC Chipmunk Trails System which inlude the about FSRs and surround 100s of kms of single track trail that have been there for some 40 years.

This proposal is a simple one but with large consequences for motorised users if allowed to be built without consultation of the existing user groups. What they want to build is a Gondola from Bridal Falls area to the Upper Chipmunk Riding Area. This Gondola will obviously service non motorised users, by looking at the scope of the area within this proposal the developers have much larger plans not yet made public.

Please take a few minutes to review the proposal and be sure to comment, if the government does not hear from motorised users of the area we will not be included in the process and if not included we can expect to lose the area to motorised use without consultation. Feel free to plagiarize my letter on behalf of DSBC regarding this project, I will include it below.

DSBC response to Bridal Falls Proposal

September 3, 2018

To
Land Officer James David
email [email protected].

From
Tom Timmerman
President DualSportBC

DualSportBC is a registered non profit Society here in BC that is mainly comprised of "Off Road Motorcyclists" the society is often referred to as DSBC. DSBC operates a website and forum for its members, this site has over 2000 members covering all of British Columbia.

We have reviewed this initial application for land use File: #2412059. Firstly this application covers a huge area, whereas the application has a misleading title of Bridal Falls. Bridal Falls is only a small part of this entire application area, which includes areas, but not limited to Chipmunk Creek, Thurston, Mercer and Cheam. This makes locating this application somewhat difficult as motorised recreation generally does not occur anywhere near Bridal Falls. Now that we (DSBC) has learned of this application we are prepared for an initial comment.

DSBC understands that all types of recreation in the Fraser and Chilliwack River Valleys is at a premium with the continued population growth of the surrounding areas.

This application encompasses a large area that is accessed by all types of motorised recreation. Forest Service Roads, Thurston, Chipmunk, Mercer and Bridal Falls are used by all types of recreation, motorised and non motorised alike. The following areas have 100s of Kilometers of uncategorised motorized trails, Cheam, Archibald Thurston, Chipmunk and Mercer. The preservation of motorised access to these areas and trails are of DSBC highest concern.

The only way that DualSportBC could consider support of such a project will be the consideration and preservation of continued motorised access to the existing mentioned areas and Forest Service Roads.

DualSportBC appreciates the ability to comment on this proposal and looks forward to any comments.

Regards
cleardot.gif

Tom Timmerman
President DualSportBC
Click to expand...

Thanks for your time and don't forget to follow the below application link and submit your thoughts

Link to the Proposal
https://arfd.gov.bc.ca/ApplicationPosting/viewpost.jsp?PostID=55831

Links to maps
https://arfd.gov.bc.ca/ApplicationPosting/getfile.jsp?PostID=55831&FileID=67803&action=view
getfile.jsp



getfile.jsp
 
O

offworlder

Moderator
Thanks for bringing this to our attention Tom, and providing a foundation for others to comment on.

Here's a slightly revised response, that I'm hoping DSBC'ers will add their own personal flair to:

"Regarding the application for land use #2412059:

I understand that with the continued population growth in the Fraser and Chilliwack River Valleys, recreation activity is at a premium in the surrounding areas,
However, this application is misleading to the public, as while there's mention of Bridal Falls in the title, the application covers a much larger area, including but not limited to Chipmunk Creek, Thurston, Mercer and Cheam. These areas are currently enjoyed by thousands of motorized and non-motorized users alike every year.

As an active motorized recreational user of these areas, the only way that I would consider support of such a project is through the preservation of motorized access to these areas - which contain 100s of kilometers of uncategorized motorized trails, throughout the Cheam, Archibald Thurston, Chipmunk and Mercer areas.

Thank you."
 
TW_rider

TW_rider

Member
Yeah...let's turn Cheam into another Joffre Lakes.................

There is a TWO YEAR study that needs to be done first...and this has been proposed before, and went nowhere.
 
Cultusking

Cultusking

New member
Going by the map of area they are requesting there seems to be an ulterior motive than just a line from Bridal Falls to Cheam. Maybe restricting motorized would limit people just driving up to the Cheam trail head so they can make more money off Gondola tickets?
 
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