Month: July 2017

One Dead After ATV And Pickup Truck Collision

A fatal collision occurred on Tuesday shortly after 10:30 p.m. on Garven Road (Provincial Road 213) and Briercliffe Road, two miles west of Highway #12, in the RM of Springfield.

Oakbank RCMP attended the scene where an ATV and pickup truck with a trailer containing active bee hives collided. RCMP say early investigations have concluded the pickup truck was traveling westbound on Garven Road when the ATV came out of the south ditch and crossed the road, colliding with the pickup truck.

The pickup truck ended up in the south ditch and the ATV was heavily damaged, but still on the roadway.

RCMP say the 32-year-old male driver of the ATV, from the RM of Springfield, was pronounced dead on scene. The 27-year-old male driver of the pickup truck, also from the RM of Springfield, received minor injuries.

Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the collision. The RCMP Forensic Collision Reconstructionist is assisting with the ongoing investigation.

The collision occurred on Garven Road and Briercliffe Road in the RM of Springfield

Flatlanders go to the mountains

It was a trip that inspired awe for the natural landscape and an appreciation for the work of local ATVers

by John Meed |

Members of the Queen City Quadders from Regina, Saskatchewan, revel in the beauty of the Castle area.— photo courtesy John Meed

In August of 2016, the Crowsnest Pass Quad Squad, the local ATV club in the area, hosted several members of the Queen City Quadders (QCQ; Regina, Saskatchewan, area ATV club) for a week of riding in the Castle area. For the flatlanders, this was an amazing adventure, and for most, it was their first experience with mountain riding.

The scenery was breathtaking, the riding challenging and the experience memorable. QCQ members were impressed with the work and dedication of the Quad Squad and the time, money and effort their members had put in managing and grooming the trails. The Quad Squad were excellent hosts and guides.

Exploring the area offered several opportunities to view the splendour that is the Canadian Rocky Mountains, as well as the famous Frank Slide, the site of a plane mishap and an abandoned mining town, to mention a few. QCQ members took the opportunity to get off their ATVs and several went to nearby attractions, such as Waterton National Park.

Unfortunately, in recent developments, the Alberta Government has proposed a complete ban on ATVs in the Castle Provincial Park and Wildlands, which could mean that ATV riders will no longer legally be able to experience this amazing venue. The Quad Squad, along with Alberta Off Highway Vehicle Association (AOHVA) and other support groups and interested parties have mounted a campaign to convince the government of compromises that would allow ATV riders the opportunity to still ride on the already developed ATV trail system.

Clubs provide a unified voice to deal with situations that arise, such as proposed area closures.— photo courtesy John Meed

This is a classic example of how quickly situations or access rights can change for ATV users and where clubs and associations can be vital in providing a unified voice when dealing with governments and other decision-makers.

We hope the Alberta Government listens to the Quad Squad, AOHVA and those who want to continue to have this fantastic riding opportunity available to ATV riders in the future.

Wilderness advocate geared up to keep all-terrain vehicles out of parks

Damage leads Wilderness Committee to call for ban on ATVs and dirt bikes in Manitoba provincial parks

The Wilderness Committee is calling on Manitoba to ban the use of all-terrain vehicles within provincial parks.

ATVs and dirt bikes have torn up trails and scarred wilderness areas within Nopiming Provincial Park in the Canadian Shield of eastern Manitoba and Duck Mountain Provincial Park in the parkland in the west, said Eric Reder, Manitoba campaign director for the Wilderness Committee.

Conservation officers are not enforcing existing rules governing where motorized vehicles can go inside parks, he said. As a result, ATVs are creating mudholes in soft terrain and then compounding the damage by driving into the forest to avoid the pits, he said.

Dirt bikes, meanwhile, are polluting the wilderness with noise, he said.

“Recreational ripping around is not necessary inside a provincial park. There’s a lot of public land, there’s a lot of private land those things can be happening on, but we can’t do that in a park because it’s too much destruction, it’s too much disturbance for an area we need to be protecting,” Reder said Friday in an interview.

Province seeking ‘balance’

“There’s huge wetlands that are being torn up just this year because of all-terrain vehicle traffic, so the government isn’t controlling this. The mandate to control this has to come from the minister’s office. They’ve had this file for years and years and we still haven’t seen any action on it.”

Reder said he took his concerns to the province — and the government confirmed they’ve heard his concerns.

“The province works to achieve a balance between the protection of our parks, while allowing Manitobans certain recreational opportunities, including regulated use of ATVs,” provincial spokesperson Glen Cassie said in a statement.

“Trails are clearly marked and conservation officers enforce rules around access in our parks.”

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