Regional District searches for solution to Cactus Trails concerns

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — The Peace River Regional District has advised staff to investigate options for the Cactus Trails near the Beatton River — and to meet with user groups and affected landowners and initiate a discussion on options that would mitigate concerns over maintenance that have been brought to the Regional District’s attention.

The March 10 meeting saw a report to the Regional District for discussion. The report indicated that the Province and the Blizzard Bike Club approached the Regional District to request that a lease for the Cactus Trails be obtained in February 2015.

These trails, which are on Crown land off the Cecil Lake Road and across from the former Beatton Regional Park, had been developed and operated by the Club for the last six to seven years.

The majority of the Cactus Trails are owned by the BC Transportation Finance Authority, while a small portion has touched onto private land.

The intent was for the Regional District to obtain a lease for the Crown land portion from the BCFTA and then sub-lease it to the Club, who would maintain it.

“With respect to the private land, the Club would either have to move the trails off the private land or enter into agreement with the landowners for the use of the land,” the report reads.

That following August, a motion was passed for the signing of a 15-year lease with the BCFTA to do just that. But the PRRD heard from landowners in September, who addressed their concerns about the trails. The Club agreed to close any trails that led onto their private property.

Shortly after all parties agreed to meet and discuss the future of the trails, the Club met with their membership who then decided that they were no longer interested in managing the trails they had developed. Last month, the Regional District received a formal letter providing this notice.

“To adequately address these concerns it would likely be necessary to work fencing and additional liability insurance into the plans if the trails were to remain multi-user,” the letter from the Club to the regional district reads. “All in all while mistakes were made in the creation of the trails there is definitely hope that a long term trail system could be maintained at this location, if the landowner’s concerns could be addressed.”

Following that meeting, the Club suspended all use, maintenance and activities on the private land portion of the trail installed ‘No Trespassing’ signs at each point of entry of the trails to the private land.