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This letter was published in Monday Magazine on Wednesday, November
22, 2000 in response to the article from the previous issue about our
struggle to keep the Harbour View area accessible
to all types of recreation.
| Motorsports Played Off-Highways—
Really Far Off |
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The
demand by off-road vehicle owners for permission to use the Harbourview
lands as a recreational park for motorcycles and four-wheel drives,
motorized dirt bikes and SUVs is interesting. They are using private
land, owned by the Seraphim Group and others, which includes the
former Greater Victoria Water District, who once held it as reserve
watershed.
To claim that their vehicles are “off-highway” and
not “off-road” is a specious argument. The area they are using for
their “sport” is a fragile ecosystem, recovering from the damage
done by logging trucks and heavy equipment. The old logging roads
are degraded and have never been repaired. The improper use of these
roads results in the further destruction of the forested area and
more contamination of Ayum Creek. Only emergency vehicles should
be using these roads, for fire protection or rescue.
In a dry summer, Ayum Creek has very little water on the surface.
I have seen vehicle tracks running across and straight up the creek
bed. I've also seen evidence of oil and gasoline spills, glistening
in little pools alongside the creek. The claim that the drivers
always remain on the roads or trails is simply not to be believed.
I'm grateful that the Rock Crawlers have removed litter, plastics,
aluminum cans, bottles, rubber tires, empty shotgun shells, car
parts (and maybe even entire cars) that careless people have left
behind, but I'm disappointed that they haven't yet purchased their
own land. They should get busy and raise money so they can buy a
piece of property more suited to their purpose. The Land Conservancy
of B.C. has offered to help. I will too. If they have a bake sale,
I know of a great recipe for chocolate cake.
Joanne
Manley, Victoria
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Our Reaction
Our Society's mission is to promote the recreational sport/activity of
four-wheel driving as a safe and fun pastime to be enjoyed by all. We
advocate the responsible use of off-highway vehicles while minimizing
their impact on our environment. We educate the general public and other
four-wheel drive enthusiasts about our society's fun, safe, and responsible
recreation.
We are currently trying to raise awareness of the dangerous trend to close
more and more local areas to many forms of recreation. We are suggesting
to our local governments that parks that sustain multiple uses can and
should be created. One place in particular, the Harbourview area (which
is currently up for purchase by the Land Conservancy of BC on behalf of
the CRD), is an excellent candidate for such a multi-use park.
First, I would like to dispel some misconceptions regarding the Harbourview
area. It is often described as a "pristine wilderness", which connotes
an old-growth forest that has never been besmirched by human presence.
In truth, it is second and third-growth forest with many roads that travel
through it. Still others consider it an "endangered ecosystem" containing
many "threatened species". In fact, the plants and animals cited continue
to thrive even after the area was logged twice. It appears the flora and
fauna are not as fragile as some people would have you believe. That is
not to say the area would not make a great park-it would. Its scenery
is spectacular. It needs to be protected from urban development, while
access to it should be made available to anyone who wishes to enjoy it.
People opposed to any motorized use of the area argue that vehicles adversely
affect Ayum Creek. As evidenced by the accompanying
map, Ayum creek is not close to any of the logging roads in current
use. The Ayum catchment is almost completely outside the Harbourview area.
In addition, many people are under the impression that Harbourview is
part of the Victoria watershed. It is not. CRD Water currently owns one
small non-catchment parcel that straddles Harbourview Road not far from
Sooke Road. For a time, it had been gated off, arbitrarily preventing
access to everything beyond it, including Sooke Mountain Provincial Park.
However, the CRD eventually reconsidered their decision and removed the
gates.
As for the suggestion that the roads be accessible to emergency vehicles
only, our society is registered with local Search and Rescue organizations.
In cases where accessibility is an issue, our members will be called upon
to help effect a rescue. In fact, this was the case this past weekend
in the Cowichan Valley. Our knowledge and familiarity with the area could
be crucial in saving lives.
People who enjoy hiking have had the various local governments and the
CRD set aside for them thousands of hectares of parkland on which they
may practice their sport. This includes the Gowland-Tod trail, the Galloping
Goose, Matheson Lake, Elk Lake/Beaver Lake, and many others. Why then
shouldn't other folks (the old, the very young, the infirm, the handicapped
and the out of condition among us), expect the governments to do the same
for them? The public lands shouldn't become the domain of only the young
and healthy who are able to hike with backpacks many miles.
As a non-profit society, we do not have resources to place full-page advertisements
in newspapers to raise funds for the purchase of land for ourselves. What
we can do is appeal to the public and our local governments to acknowledge
that recreation takes many forms. Parks need to be created to cater to
more than just hikers. Areas need to be protected from development, but
not at the expense of those who would use it, whatever their abilities
or choice of recreation.
Links: Map of Harbourview (90Kb)
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