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KVR Black Robe Memorial RideKelowna area September 26/04 Written by Greg Photographs by Smee  The old Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) railbed has long been a favourite destination for people from all areas and walks of life, offering wood trestles, train tunnels, area history, and fantastic scenery.Motorized recreation has enjoyed the use of the KVR for years, and the abandoned railbed is a integral part of our trail system. The KVR links multiple areas together and provides access to many different destinations. Losing the KVR would mean a severe curtailing of our trail use in many parts of British Columbia. The BC Government is turning over the KVR railbed to TrailsBC, an anti-motorized-recreation group whose goals include removing motorized recreation from BC's trails. We believe that trails are a SHARED RESOURCE and that we are being discriminated against. As taxpayers, motorized recreationalists and the physically handicapped have as much right to use these trails as anyone else. By restricting access to non-motorized recreation, TrailsBC is ensuring that only those people who are in top physical condition will be able to enjoy all that this trail has to offer. ATV/BC organized a "Say Goodbye to the KVR" event, which included a memorial ride down part of the KVR in full funeral attire. Approximately 200 ATVs participated in the ride, which may have been the last chance for many of them to experience the beauty of this trail. Media coverage included this spot on CHBC News:
Also this article on Castanet.net:
Clicking on the thumbnail will open up the full-size photo in a different window. 
Here's a letter that was sent to the Editor of the Kelowna Capital news, cc'd to Greg. To the Editor: The issue of ATV's on the KVR has certainly become a contentious issue. Commentary has been mostly inconsistent and inaccurate. When I bought my ATV's, the government happily took $2,610 of tax on them and didn't tell me they were considering giving in to the wishes of a few uninformed hypocrites and close to ATV's one of the Okanogan's most beautiful and scenic trails that was built for engine traffic and has been used harmoniously by walkers, bikers, horseback riders, cross country skiers, drivers, dirt bike riders and ATVers for decades. No one yet has offered a reasonable explanation as to why these should be banned from the entire KVR. Some have mentioned safety as an excuse and I say you've got more to worry about with cougars and bears than you'll ever have with ATVers. I did research and couldn't find a single incident where any pedestrian has been hurt by an ATVer on the KVR. From personal experience I've not seen in all my years anyone on an ATV passing walkers or bikers at high speeds on the KVR or elsewhere and I've certainly never seen as many snotty ATVers as I do walkers. I have though seen bilkers pass walkers and horseback riders at very high rates of high speed and even had a horse run past me once. Walk down swamp road or Chute lake road where kids are expected to walk to school on the side of the road, if they're within 4 klm's and tell me that's not a safety concern. Leave the ATVers alone and redirect your efforts to areas that affect many more people in a more serious way. Some have said ATV's hurt the environment but ATV's do less damage to the trails than bikes do. ATV's have maybe 4 lbs of pressure in it's tires and in most cases you'd never see a mark left by an ATV. There are those hypocrites that say the fuel being burnt hurts the environment but those are probably people that don't mind running down to the store in their SUV to buy cigarettes. In any event I run my ATV all day long on a few litres of gas and use it only several times a year hurting the environment far less than most of you do who burn gas to rent videos to watch. Some have said they want peace and quiet without the intrusion of ATV noise. Firstly, very few people ever even encounter an ATV on the KVR and when they do they hear an engine for 30 seconds or so. For that you ask us to stop using a trail that goes into areas you'll never walk to? Some say the trail is a walking trail but it was built to travel by locomotive. It is called the Kettle Valley RAILWAY. Some ask why ATVers can't use old logging roads? I say for the same reasons walkers don't which is because there's nothing to look at. I for one don't ride for the fun of moving. I want to see views, maybe take a week long camping trip and the KVR offers all this. There are plenty of trails like Mission Creek greenway and others that people can use without what they consider to be the intrusion of ATVers. But banning ATV users from a trail that covers hundreds of KLM''s, leads to many remote areas many of which would otherwise be inaccessible, offers incredible views and helps the economy with it's tourism possibilities is not a viable solution to the concerns of a few misinformed and selfish people. You also have other issues to consider such as the business who offers ATV tours on the KVR to visitors from all over the world. So you don't mind taking away those people's livelihood or losing the economic benefit brought to the Okanagan by these visitors? And what about the Chute Lake lodge? Closing the route from the intersection of the Girard Forestry service road and the KVR, where you can take a right onto the KVR to get to Chute Lake, would force all in Kelowna who want to use that facility to drive to Penticton, around to Naramatta and in that way. That's ridiculous and that would do more damage to the environment in terms of the fuel burned and wasted than any number of ATV's will ever do. Contrary to the opinions of the uninformed, uneducated and plain selfish do-gooders, ATVers Bikers, walkers and horseback riders can easily co-exist if we all use common sense and common courtesy. Like anyplace there's traffic and people, common sense and courtesy must prevail. We all pay taxes and British Columbia belongs to British Columbians. It does not belong to those who claim it as their own by saying such stupid things as YOU ARE NOT WELCOME ON THE KVR WITH YOUR ATV. That's like telling a car driver they're not welcome on your street as they drive by your house. What a society we'd have if we started a precedent like that. Who gave these people that property and the right to claim it as theirs? It's not yours or mine, it's OURS. If you don't believe that you should give the Indians your house because chances are the land it's on was taken from them. The solution is simple but not for those who are ignorant, stupid and stubborn. Leave things as they are. ATVer's stop or slow down when you get near people until they pass so as not to scare them, hurt them and create dust. Walkers, thank the ATVers for not being as irresponsible as so many do-gooders believe we are and for contributing their tax dollars and labour to the trail you're walking on. We can all coexist but we need to be more tolerant, understanding, flexible, willing to compromise and become better educated about these issues before you spout off and insist on your way or no way. Terry Rolfe Kelowna |
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