IRC in the News

These letters all appeared in the Friday, December 8 edition of the Times Colonist. Alsos included with these letters was a reasonable map of the Harbourview area, showing the land up for purchase in relation to Sooke Mountain Park.

Four-wheel solution

Eureka! I have the solution to the Harbourview lands debate. Within the 3,400 acres of Harbour View lands the the Land Conservancy of B.C. is proposing to buy, I know of approximately 100 kilometres of old loggin roads. These roads average 3.5 metres in width. With some rudimentary calculations, that translates into les than 100 acres. The reason hikers are so against four-wheelers is because they tend to hike right down the middle of these roads. In most places, the bush is too to hike anywhere else. If the lands in question become a CRD park, these existing roads could be designated for four-wheel drive and other motorized vehicles. Within the remaining 3,300 acres, there could be an established network of hiking and equestrian trails. These trials could be located far enough away from the roads that each user group would be unaware as to the others' presence. I'm sure that, if approached, the four-wheel drive community would even volunteer to construct these trails. We know they have the labour force, just look at the tons of old washing machines, garbage, drywall, and abandoned automobiles they have removed from the area already. I dare the Land Conservancy, CRD and others who would greedily hoard this land for hiking only to get down off their soap boxes and work with other user groups to find a mutually agreeable solution. Patrick V. O'Connor

It's eco-elitism

I am appalled by Rick Searle's comments regarding the land-use issue in Sooke ("Off-road vehicles scar Sooke Hils," Dec. 3). I'm tired of hearing this "eco-elitist" rhetoric about how no-one but they should have the right to recreate in our wilderness. The land the four-wheelers use (the roads) probably equates to less than half of one percent of the actual land. With proper management any of the problems of the past can be resolved. The Land Conservancy of B.C. and people like Searle just don't have the ability to be reasonable, and are unwilling to come to any compromise. This screams of elitism. How dare Searle try to take my sport away. How would he like it if I started blocking hiking trails and not letting hikers into the wilderness? Better yet, if he takes Harbour View away from me, then maybe I should start driving my truck on hiking trails. Why not? I won't have anywhere else to go thanks to him, the TLC, and the CRD. And if he thinks the TLC is fooling anyone in the four-wheel drive community about their empty offers of helping us find somewhere else to recreate, he is sadly mistaken. Searle would have us gated into a gravel pit if he could. If he knew anything about what we do, he would know that is not acceptable. We have the right to beautiful lakes and forested areas as well as he does. The difference is that we are asking for so little yet he wants it all. The four-wheel drive community is more than willing to sit down and discuss how the area can be protected for "all" users, not just an elite few. Jonathan Poole, Victoria

Links: Map of Harbourview (90Kb)

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