Snowpeaks Rentals has applied for approval to use trails within the Dawn Mountain Trails Recreation Area for offering commercial ATV tours. The tours would cross the Dawn Mountain Area for access to logging roads and trails in the Holt Creek and Gorman Lake watershed.
This document summarizes the position of the Golden Nordic Ski Club Society (GNSCS) concerning the Snowpeaks proposal. These concerns were submitted to the appropriate government branches.
The Dawn Mt. Trails Recreation Area is currently zoned non-motorized summer and winter, with the exception of a winter tenure granted to Rocky Mountain Riders Ltd. of Golden.
The proposed use of lands within the Agreement Area raises serious concerns for GNSCS and its members. GNSCS has concerns about damage to trails and infrastructure and concerns about harm to wildlife and vegetation.
Much of the existing trail system was build by GNSCS volunteers and club contractors specifically for Nordic skiing and for no other purpose. Aside from portions of the former rail line, the trails within the Dawn Mountain Area are not built to withstand summer use by motorized vehicles. Many of the trails pass through wet areas. They are perfectly suited for winter use after the ground freezes and a snowpack develops. However, the trails have not been grubbed to remove vegetation and organic matter down to hard subsoil, so they are very susceptible to damage. Ruts promote erosion that will further damage the trials. Even occasional use by ATVs can cause damage. v
Rutting in the trails means that a much deeper amount of snow is required before grooming can be performed. Irregularities in the ground surface pose significant safety risks for skiers who are expecting the kind of world-class trail system that they have come to enjoy at Dawn Mountain.
The Dawn Mountain Area includes several bridges. GNSCS is concerned that ATV use will damage the bridges by abrading the planking and by placing undistributed weight on bridge planks. This is very different from the widely distributed weight of the grooming equipment. In addition, the point of transition from a bridge to a trail is typically an area that experiences deep rutting and subsidence. This will create a risk that the grooming equipment will snag a bridge component and cause damage to the groomer and to the bridge.
The other concern relates to degradation of environmental values. Nordic skiing is not simply an athletic activity. It presents an opportunity for people of all ages to venture into natural landscapes and to enjoy the biodiversity that they have to offer. Skiers hope for a rare glimpse of wildlife or the more common spotting of animal tracks. Motorized traffic disrupts wildlife in a habitat in ways that continue year round. Further, ATV traffic brings a risk of the introduction of non-native and invasive species through seeds carried in mud on the tires and underside of the vehicles.
GNSC takes the position that introducing ATV recreation into the Dawn Mountain Area poses too much risk to the Nordic skiing trail system. Remedying trail damage is a costly and complex undertaking as we have found when off road vehicles trespass on Nordic trails in the summer. There is no source of aggregate to fill ruts or potholes nearby, It is very difficult to walk an excavator to the remote areas where trail damage could occur.
However, if ATV use is permitted, GNSCS would expect for the following limitations:
- ATVs will be restricted to guided tours (as with snow machine tours), and not open to general public use, or simply renting machines at the trailhead. Signs warning of restricted use and enforcement must be posted.
- ATV travel will be restricted to separate hardened trails, such as the old rail line, within the Agreement Area.
- ATV travel will not use any of the bridges that are part of the Nordic trail system.
- If trail damage occurs due to any ATV trespassing on the Nordic trails, Snowpeaks Rentals would not be permitted to operate until the damage is remedied. The Golden Nordic Ski Club Society takes the position that its concerns should be given a priority:
- Nordic skiing is the first and existing recreational use of the Agreement Area;
- Nordic skiing is enjoyed by a large number of people. The Club is on track to have over 700 members this year; and
- While ATVs can be used in a variety of areas throughout the Columbia Valley, the Nordic centre is a unique location.