shan
Active VIP Member
Changes to the natural areas by Redwater and Bruderheim are being considered by Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation. Sturgeon County councillor Karen Shaw feels the current public consultation process on the proposed changes is not fair, and local residents should have a greater opportunity to participate in it.
An Alberta-wide public consultation is presently being held online or by mailing in comments on the proposal to enlarge both areas and reclassify them from Natural Areas to Provincial Recreation Areas. The proposal includes banning the use of off highway vehicles (OHV) in the Bruderheim area but still allowing it on designated trails in the Redwater one. This proposal would also add approximately 388 hectares of public land to the Redwater area and 261 hectares to the North Bruderheim area. That crown land was previously reserved for inclusion into these sites.
"It's not a fair process," said Shaw. "They're not including the residents of Redwater or Sturgeon who are impacted the most." She questions if many residents even know the consultation process is underway.
The proposed changes are planned to address fire and safety concerns.
"The lawlessness of it," said Shaw, "of bringing a lot of people into an area with no rules or guidelines. I was part of the process to address the concerns." She explained that after frustrating meetings with various stakeholder groups and the department deputy minister, she helped organize a meeting of all the affected parties. It was held in July 2009. Since then the county has not had any true involvement in the process.
"The implications to the county could be enormous," said Shaw. "If I don't even know what's happening, how are residents to know? I'm very disappointed so far in the process. I'm disappointed the residents have not had a fair and equal opportunity to be part of it."
She feels local residents should be advised of the consultation process and be given opportunities other than online respond because not everyone has a computer.
"It's a very involved and it's an important issue," Shaw declared. "Residents need to be assured their homes are safe and their concerns addressed."
The differences between a natural area and a recreation area are significant, although hunting with a valid hunting license is permitted in both.
A natural area designation is intended to protect the landscape, to preserve and protect sites of local significance and provide opportunities for low-impact recreation and nature appreciation activities. Natural areas include natural and near-natural landscapes of regional and local importance for nature-based recreation and heritage appreciation. They are typically quite small. Most natural areas have no facilities and in those that do, facilities are minimal and consist mainly of parking areas and trails.
A recreation area designation recognizes that recreation activies are happening, implements strategies to manage them and helps residents and visitors to better understand what kinds of activities are permitted. For example, random camping and lighting of fires is prohibited in a recreation area. Conservation officers can establish park quiet hours and control where campfires are lit, thus improving public safety and helping to prevent forest fires.
Recreation areas support outdoor recreation and tourism. They often provide access to lakes, rivers, reservoirs and adjacent crown land.
Recreation areas support a range of outdoor activities in natural, modified and man-made settings. They are managed with outdoor recreation as the primary objective. Some areas are intensively developed, while others remain largely undeveloped.
Albertans are invited to review the proposal for the Bruderheim and Redwater areas and comment online at . Comments will also be accepted by mail at Redwater and North Bruderheim Proposal, 2nd floor Oxbridge Place, 9820 106 Street, Edmonton AB T5K 2J6.
All comments must be submitted by Oct. 25. A decision regarding the proposal will be made after the public consultation is over and all comments have been considered.
The North Bruderheim Natural Area is east SH830 between Bruderheim and Hwy 38. It is a small site of approximately 178 hectares, with the Beaver Hill Creek system running through it. Alberta Parks' website states that this site doesn not have the land base or infrastructure to accommodate OHVs.
The Redwater Sandhills Natural Area is four miles east of Redwater and south of SH644. It is a large site of approximately 1,810 hectares that can accommodate a wide range of outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities, including OHVs and equestrian use. Members of the Alberta Off-Highway Vehicle Association have acted as stewards for Redwater Natural Area for more than two decades. These volunteers have assisted in managing OHV use through information, education and voluntary compliance.
(information from FARM'n'FRIENDS friday Oct8/10)
An Alberta-wide public consultation is presently being held online or by mailing in comments on the proposal to enlarge both areas and reclassify them from Natural Areas to Provincial Recreation Areas. The proposal includes banning the use of off highway vehicles (OHV) in the Bruderheim area but still allowing it on designated trails in the Redwater one. This proposal would also add approximately 388 hectares of public land to the Redwater area and 261 hectares to the North Bruderheim area. That crown land was previously reserved for inclusion into these sites.
"It's not a fair process," said Shaw. "They're not including the residents of Redwater or Sturgeon who are impacted the most." She questions if many residents even know the consultation process is underway.
The proposed changes are planned to address fire and safety concerns.
"The lawlessness of it," said Shaw, "of bringing a lot of people into an area with no rules or guidelines. I was part of the process to address the concerns." She explained that after frustrating meetings with various stakeholder groups and the department deputy minister, she helped organize a meeting of all the affected parties. It was held in July 2009. Since then the county has not had any true involvement in the process.
"The implications to the county could be enormous," said Shaw. "If I don't even know what's happening, how are residents to know? I'm very disappointed so far in the process. I'm disappointed the residents have not had a fair and equal opportunity to be part of it."
She feels local residents should be advised of the consultation process and be given opportunities other than online respond because not everyone has a computer.
"It's a very involved and it's an important issue," Shaw declared. "Residents need to be assured their homes are safe and their concerns addressed."
The differences between a natural area and a recreation area are significant, although hunting with a valid hunting license is permitted in both.
A natural area designation is intended to protect the landscape, to preserve and protect sites of local significance and provide opportunities for low-impact recreation and nature appreciation activities. Natural areas include natural and near-natural landscapes of regional and local importance for nature-based recreation and heritage appreciation. They are typically quite small. Most natural areas have no facilities and in those that do, facilities are minimal and consist mainly of parking areas and trails.
A recreation area designation recognizes that recreation activies are happening, implements strategies to manage them and helps residents and visitors to better understand what kinds of activities are permitted. For example, random camping and lighting of fires is prohibited in a recreation area. Conservation officers can establish park quiet hours and control where campfires are lit, thus improving public safety and helping to prevent forest fires.
Recreation areas support outdoor recreation and tourism. They often provide access to lakes, rivers, reservoirs and adjacent crown land.
Recreation areas support a range of outdoor activities in natural, modified and man-made settings. They are managed with outdoor recreation as the primary objective. Some areas are intensively developed, while others remain largely undeveloped.
Albertans are invited to review the proposal for the Bruderheim and Redwater areas and comment online at . Comments will also be accepted by mail at Redwater and North Bruderheim Proposal, 2nd floor Oxbridge Place, 9820 106 Street, Edmonton AB T5K 2J6.
All comments must be submitted by Oct. 25. A decision regarding the proposal will be made after the public consultation is over and all comments have been considered.
The North Bruderheim Natural Area is east SH830 between Bruderheim and Hwy 38. It is a small site of approximately 178 hectares, with the Beaver Hill Creek system running through it. Alberta Parks' website states that this site doesn not have the land base or infrastructure to accommodate OHVs.
The Redwater Sandhills Natural Area is four miles east of Redwater and south of SH644. It is a large site of approximately 1,810 hectares that can accommodate a wide range of outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities, including OHVs and equestrian use. Members of the Alberta Off-Highway Vehicle Association have acted as stewards for Redwater Natural Area for more than two decades. These volunteers have assisted in managing OHV use through information, education and voluntary compliance.
(information from FARM'n'FRIENDS friday Oct8/10)
