Re: a collaborative approach to conservation and trail use on Crown Land.
After meeting with key members of the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT) early this week, an alliance of four of Ontario’s largest motorized recreational trail use organizations is now preparing to work collaboratively on plans that will protect access to trails within a proposed 100,000-hectare “corridor” linking three provincial parks and a vast network of trail systems throughout the Haliburton/ Kawartha region.
Commenting on the outcome of the February 10 meeting, Joel Castonguay, President of the 6,000-member Ontario Federation of Trail Riders (OFTR) said, “We certainly had some initial concerns when we went into the meeting, but, after a really good exchange, it’s clear we’ve got a tremendous opportunity to protect and grow our access to Ontario’s trails and the great outdoors.”
Todd Hall, Chair of the Haliburton Land Trust, agreed, noting there is a lot of common ground between the land trust and the trail-use communities. “Our objectives of maintaining ecological integrity and protecting trail use both require the protection of our natural assets. We are committed to ensuring that these natural assets are protected and access to Crown land trails by ATVs, off road motorcycles and 4WD vehicles remains. HHLT’s decision to support the designation of ecologically sensitive lands as Conservation Reserves was deliberate. The designation provides enhanced protection of the natural landscape and its critical functions while recognizing and respecting other uses such as trail use. These activities are part of our rural landscape, they help generate economic activity, and they are a part of our everyday lives. HHLT commits to working collaboratively with the Alliance and other stakeholders,” he explained.
Kawartha ATV Association (KATVA) President Carolyn Richards also expressed optimism stating, that by working together with HHLT, the off-road community can build a sustainable model that can be used across the province to protect trail access as
Crown land designations change and conservation efforts evolve.
KATVA and the Haliburton ATV Association (HATVA) are among two of the largest ATV clubs in Ontario and have stewarded trails within the Haliburton Corridor for over 20 years.
“HATVA and KATVA look forward to working in partnership with the HHLT in offering to the motorized and non-motorized public one of the best trail systems in Ontario while also protecting our natural environment,” she added.
Peter Kendall, Executive Director of the Schad Foundation, was equally optimistic, noting that a partnership with the motorized trail-use community will bring a host of benefits. “The dedicated efforts of this community are responsible for many of the world
class trails we have in Ontario. We look forward to working with the motorized trail use community and leveraging their wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise to advocate for greater protection and expansion of Ontario’s trails”.
Going into the February 10 meeting, Peter Wood, President of the Ontario Federation of 4 Wheel Drive Recreationalists (OF4WD) questioned the need for reclassification of the General Use area crown land to a Conservation Reserve but was greatly encouraged by the desire for the Lands Trust to work with the trails and outdoor recreation community on a plan to protect our access to these important public lands. “This is a great and ground- breaking opportunity to work together with the conservation
community on what we hope will be a long-term, collaborative effort.”
OF4WD, the OFTR, Kawartha ATV and Haliburton ATV Association (HATVA) are all part of the province-wide Ontario Trails Protection Alliance (OTPA). All of the OTPA organizations support multi-use trail systems and have a long history of land
stewardship, safety education, investment in trail development and maintenance and codes of responsibility.
“It became apparent very quickly that the OTPA can — and should be — a prominent partner in our efforts,” concluded Luke Ridgway, Manager of the Ontario Conservation Accelerator program that is driving investment into a variety of conservation projects. “The environmental conservation and trail user communities are ultimately interested in the same thing: the long-term sustainability of our activities on the land within the forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife which brought us there in the first place,” he said.
Ontario’s largest Conservation Organization, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) also attended Monday’s meeting. “OFAH spokesperson Matt Robbins remarked that a collaborative approach to protecting and enhancing our natural
resources is not only necessary but critical to ensure our respective interests are represented and that conservation efforts are broadly supported.”
Following Monday’s meeting, HHLT and OTPA have agreed to share further information, including detailed trail mapping, trail user information and more, with further meetings planned to discuss protection of trail access and to set up a permanent input/ advisory role for the motorized trail use communities.
Contacts for more information:
For HHLT:
Todd Hall, HHLT Chair
705-457-3700
chair@haliburtonlandtrust.ca
OTPA:
Lisa Thomson, OTPA Chair
705-466-2747
Lisa.thompson@oftr.ca
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