Two regional natural areas are set to get a lot bigger under a proposal from the province, one that has a Redwater off-road group worried about a traffic jam.
Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation posted plans last week to reclassify and enlarge the Redwater and North Bruderheim natural areas. The regions, located in Sturgeon and Lamont counties respectively, are both frequented by off-road vehicle users.
The province wants to reclassify both as provincial recreation areas to reflect their use and allow for better enforcement, said spokesperson Camille Weleschuk. Natural areas are supposed to be for low-impact activities like bird watching, for example, but off-roaders have ridden through both regions for decades. They are also usually pretty small, unlike the 1,810-hectare Redwater site.
With the support of Lamont County, it also wants to ban off-road vehicles from North Bruderheim. This region is much smaller than Redwater at 178 hectares, Weleschuk said, and is unsuited for off-roading. It also contains a sensitive creek and lacks a stewardship group to keep it maintained.
Lamont County has had two major fires in the North Bruderheim region in the last 10 years, said county manager Al Harvey, the most recent of which was likely started by an ATV. That fire cost the county $5 million. Neighbours have also complained about noise and property damage from unscrupulous riders, as well as the slow disappearance of orchids from the region.
Banning off-roaders from Bruderheim could crowd them into Redwater, Harvey said, but Redwater is better suited for them. "We thought it was a logical transition."
But it could cause dangerous overcrowding there too, said Rudi Zacsko Sr., a steward of the Redwater Natural Area and member of the Redwater Riders' Club. "There has to be places for [off-roading] because there are thousands of people who choose that for recreation."
Better protection?
The proposed changes would also add 261 hectares to North Bruderheim and about 388 to Redwater, Weleschuk said — a move that's been in the works for decades. The change is a formality, Zacsko said, since they've had trails on those lands for years.
Changing Redwater to a recreation area would give officials more power to enforce fire, camping, and vehicle regulations, he said, and hopefully improve the region's facilities. It could also help the club deal with vandalism and illegal dumping. "We don't mind more enforcement."
On paper, the changes could affect the level of environmental protection given to each region. According to the provincial parks classification system, natural areas are "natural and near-natural landscapes" and feature minimal development, while recreation areas are "managed with outdoor recreation as the primary objective" and can be intensely developed.
The Redwater Riders' Club has been a diligent steward of the Redwater area for decades, Weleschuk said, and has no plans to further develop the site. Current protected areas would remain in place at both Redwater and North Bruderheim.
The Redwater Riders have fenced off private lands and sensitive wetlands in the Redwater Natural Area, Zacsko said, and make sure visitors know to stay out of them. They've also banned motor vehicles from about a third of the area for quiet recreation. "We never go and cut trees to make a trail," he said, adding they follow the natural terrain instead.
The province will collect comments on the changes until Oct. 25, Weleschuk said, and make a decision in early 2011. For details, visit http://www.tpr.alberta.ca/parks/consult/boundary/redwater.
