Ministik Trail System Is Closed

[2003Summit]

Ministik trail system is: NOW CLOSED FOR THE 06/07 SEASON.

Access is restricted (all gates/fences locked up) and OHV traffic is now prohibitied.

Thank you.

[Sledderglen]

WHAT. Did you ask for the normal extention untill the geese start coming back. Maybe its time that the local snowmobilers start phoning public lands in sherwood park and start complaining. Call Wayne Holland at 464-7955 and ask for a extention based on other snow years. The ministik committee has approved this before and are aware that we ask every year when snow is here. Problems are going to happen and who is to blame. Leave the gates open please. Call him and call your county councellor no matter what county your are from. This is not good and other things may come from this.

[Ministik Man]

Yes
We asked many Many Many times for an extention of the March 1st Deadline....

The response was NO... and close the gates the morning of March 1st...

Therefore we had to close the gates... or lose the User Group right to use the park!

I think this weekend will be an absolute disaster in Ministik with all gates / access closed. Sustainable Resouces has not posted any closures in emails, newsletters or even their own sign at Ministik to tell the general public that the park is closed due to a user time commitment of December 1 to March 1.
Some government signage still says "CLOSED due to lack of Snow" (from last year). Further the public will trailer to the parking lots only to find the gates closed. So will they look for ways in??? or load up and go else where...


With more snow than we have had in years it is extremely bad taste to close the park...with over 2 feet of snow, there will be no geese for 2 to 3 weeks unless geese fly with shovels to dig down to the grain field for food...

What this does do is excites the complaint problem as now that the park is "closed" any rider is trespassing which will lead to 100's of complaints. Those complaints become ammunition to close the park to motorized vehicles for good due to unjust complaints mostly coming from private land owners within or perimetering the park. Most landowners moved there with the expectations that it is their own PRIVATE park... It is Government Crown Land for all users of Alberta.

The biggest problem is Goverment and Counties take action to complaints.
So all the calles they get are from landowners.
It is now time for the sledders to complain to the Government about:
--- Where can I ride when there is snow on the ground.
--- What trails / corridors are open to get from point A to Point B
(Cooking lake 3 miles south on RR214 to Ministik Park)
(Cooking Lake 8 miles northeast to the Fort Saskatchewan Trails system)
---Why is the Government not putting money into snowmobiling like Ontario and Quebec.

So call you local Councilor, MLA or Bylaw officer and COMPLAIN as LOUD as you can. and remember they only react by complaints!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and 90% are from tree huggers........

Wayne Holland
Alberta Sustainable Resources
(780) 464-7955
wayne.holland@gov.ab.ca

Thats my opion, and it is not fair to close the park so soon with so much snow!!!!!!!!!!
Brian

[Ministik Man]

It is very important to contact the following people to voice your complaint on snowmobiling concerns / locations:

Alberta Sustainable Resources
Ministik Sanctuary Manager
Wayne Holland
Public Lands Specialist
182 Chippewa Road
Sherwood Park, AB
T8A 4H5

MLA – Leduc County
Mr. George Rogers
MLA – Leduc, Beaumont & Devon
#54, 5203 – 50th Street
Leduc, Alberta
T9V 6Z5
(780) 980-9665

Leduc County:
Mr. Justin Rousseau
Director, Parks & Recreation
County Centre
Suite 101, 1101 – 5th Street
Nisku, Alberta, T9E 2X3
780-955-3555

MLA – Calmar – Drayton Valley
Mr. Tony Abbott
Box 7272
Drayton Valley, Alberta
T7A 1S5
(780) 542-3355

MLA – Wetaskiwin, Camrose
Mr. Leroy Johnson
4870 – 51 Street
Camrose, Alberta
T4V 1S1
(780) 672-0000

Camrose County:
Mr. Steve Gerlitz
County Administrator
3755 – 43 Avenue
Camrose, Alberta
T4V 3S8
780-672-4446

MLA - Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville
Mr. Edward Stelmach
Box 451
Vegreville, Alberta
T9C 1R6
(780) 415-9390

Beaver County:
Margaret Jones
Chief Administrative Officer
Box 140,
Rylie, Alberta
T0B 4A0
780-663-3730

MLA – Strathcona
Mr. Rob Lougheed
10401 – 100 Avenue
Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta
T8L 1Z3
(780) 998-4740

Strathcona County:
Mr. Don Polinski
Strathcona Athletics
2025 Oak Street
Sherwood Park, Alberta
T8A 0W9
780-464-8492


So let these people know you want to ride in ALBERTA and not have to trailer to BC every time you want to ride..............................

Brian

[beau2007]

We are new to the sledding here in the Beaumont area. we checked out various clubs to join, and because this is close to home, thought that we would look into this club. We actually drove out to the two sights, and was impressed, as the trail (at least from the parking lot) looked really good. We even seen two moose near the parking lot that is along the 510. We also notice a sign stating that the trails would be closed as of March 1st, and really had a hard to believing this. But according to the posts it is true.

This to me is quite disappointing, as it just seems to be way too early, seeing that this year compared to many years, there is actually snow on the ground.

I read the posts and it appears to be a government decision rather than a club decision.

Question: Does this club offer any other trails to ride on? I am thinking not, as in one post that I read, there was a referral to go to Ft. Sask or Lac St. Anne.

Thanks for your time,
Gary