We could write thank you 1000 times, and it still wouldn’t come close to expressing our gratitude to the over 170 people who took time out of their busy schedules to attend our public open house, and learn more about the proposed Barbour Rock Recreational Trails. A huge shout out goes to the Columbia Valley Greenways Trail Alliance, Recreation Sites and Trails BC, Summit Trail Makers, Crazy Soles, WSP, and all the passionate volunteers who dedicated a huge amount of personal time to preparing and participating in the open house.
We had the opportunity to share our passion, and have great conversations with an extremely wide demographic of people. Bikers, hikers, climbers, runners, local government, business owners, professionals, and concerned residents all came out with an open mind, great questions, and terrific feedback.
An especially big thanks to everyone who took the time to fill out a comment form – this written feedback is extremely valuable, as it will be provided to RSTBC and used to further refine the proposal to ensure that the concerns and best wishes of everyone are taken into consideration.
What are the next steps? Comments will be organized and submitted to RSTBC, who will be supplying a list of recommended amendments to the proposal, which will then be presented to the RDEK, and resubmitted to RSTBC. Expect more back-and-forth as suggestions are provided, plans modified, reviewed, etc. Finally, once everyone is satisfied that the proposal is in its “final form”, it will be sent for adjudication, and a final decision made by the BC Government. Stay tuned as we plan to keep you well informed throughout this whole process.
Beyond the Barbour Rock Recreational Trails, we feel that we have learned a lot throughout this whole public consultation process. We live in a unique valley, with unique concerns, and as such, a unique approach must be taken to consulting with the public, and stakeholders. Every resident in the valley is deeply passionate about the preservation of public spaces, and we are no exception to that. We hope that the transparency of the open house showed our commitment to respecting and preserving crown land for all user groups, and will become a standard event for future trail development proposals not just from the CVCS, but other user groups in the valley. It is abundantly clear from feedback that balanced, well-planned proposals that work in tandem with multiple user groups are the only way forward in the future.
2 thoughts on “Thank you!”
Kudos to the CVSC for their work in hosting an excellent Open House for the proposed Barbour Rock Rec Trails. The preparation and presentation of information was well laid out and comprehensive. It was great to have so many knowledgeable CVSC members and other experts present to answer questions and listen to concerns. Although I have lived and biked in the valley for nearly 35 years, I haven’t spent much time in the Barbour Rock area.
While I understand the need for more trails to attract the increased number of mountain bikers (both local and visitors), I am concerned about the impact this could have on the area. Although the CVSC maintains the trails will be multi-use, the truth of the matter is that hikers don’t often choose to frequent trails used primarily by mountain bikers. The Lake Lillian picnic/beach and parking area has seen a dramatic increase in visitors since the inception of the Johnson Trails, and often appears stretched beyond it’s natural capacity during summer months. It seems inevitable that more trails in the area would only compound this problem, so wondering what consideration has been given to this sensitive area bordering Barbour Rock?
I look forward to watching this process unfold and applaud the ongoing efforts of the CVSC in gathering feedback, addressing concerns and working cooperatively with interested parties. Thank you.
Thanks for the feedback! Glad you could make it out – and very glad you found the information presented was valuable.
Parking at Lake Lillian is a hot topic for residents and visitors alike. On a hot summers day it is often impossible to find parking.
We have brought the issue to RSTBC and have proposed that there be a dedicated parking area created on the south side of Toby creek road, where the trailheads are. We also realize that the Johnson trails are being utilized heavily, and this is one of the main reasons why we are working hard towards expanding our legal trail networks in the valley. 54km is simply not enough for the sheer number of locals and visitors who use our trails.
Finally, with regards to multi-use trails – we realize that not everybody is comfortable hiking on trails that are also used for biking. Part of the issue lies in that many trails in the valley were never intended to be multi-use trails, thus do not have the same standard of sight lines and speed management.
Purpose built trails can, and are, used by various user groups very successfully in a number of popular riding areas. Secondly, we have to be mindful of the many various diverse user groups who do use our trails. To propose a trail network that does not take into consideration the needs of the varied people who will be using the trails, is to destine a proposal to failure.
Cheers, and thank again for the feedback!