February 23, 2012

Summer Recreation Access Management Plan

The Bulkley Valley Community Resources Board (CRB) held a public meeting last night, at the NorthWest Community College to discuss the summer Recreation Access Management Plan (RAMP).  One thing is for sure the residents of the Bulkley Valley are a passionate bunch when it comes to recreation.  This is a good thing, a common denominator, that brings different perspectives to the discussion of land use. We have a responsibility as residents of this valley, new and old, to manage and respect the land for the purpose of sustaining it's use for future generations.  All of us. The presentation concentrated on the organization and process of RAMP, without much focus on particular areas of concerns.

With the advent of question time, it was evident that a particular user group of motorized vehicles was not in favour of the RAMP process.  Individuals spoke up in opposition to the existence of this non-elected group of people making decisions on thier behalf.  Still others spoke in opposition to the RAMP process because it was not useful during the developement of the Hankin Evelyn Recreation Area, leaving the residents surrounding the recreation area, in the dark.  But isn't the purpose of the RAMP to facilitate discussion of these issues?  Could it be argued that if the RAMP did in fact exist during the inception of the Hankin Evelyn project, that the concerns of particular people and user groups would have been heard, presumably with established open lines of communication between the public, the RAMP/CRB and the Government?  

This sounds like an opportunity for the RAMP and the motorized vehicle users to build trust.

For more information or to give your input;
visit the Bulkley Valley Community Resources Board's website.