To say that dirt roads run through my veins would be an understatement. I was raised in a world where you fell logs to cover up the marsh to drive over it in the BJ40, deep in the heart of the abandoned mines of BC, where my father was seeking his fortune from the veins of gold. I was lucky enough to know the freedoms of never wearing shoes, running winch line as soon as I could walk, and fishing for salmon in the rivers in front of the various cabins we stayed at.
Here in BC, we are incredibly privileged to access the off-road areas that many of us take for granted; however, this does not come free. We have a requirement to give back to our outdoor community more than we take, or we will lose it. Access to the areas that we value most are constantly at risk of landing themselves behind gates, private property lines. Time and time again, we hear the outcries of those that do not understand how the errors of the few do not reflect upon the behaviours of the majority of avid BC off-roaders.
Although there are many ways to give back to our wheeling community, I choose to volunteer with the Four Wheel Drive Association of BC (4WDABC). They work on behalf of the off-road community (both individuals and clubs) at a government level to ensure public access to public land. Our goal has been simple, to bring the wheeling family of BC together as one voice, and make a difference to ensure that we maintain our access.
Over the last five years, as part of a fantastic team of volunteers, we have accomplished what many thought would be impossible; the first few that come to mind are:
• Building the Hale Shelter
• Rebuilding the Nahatlatch Forest Fire Lookout
• Renovating the Mount Lavina Fire Lookout
• Taken on responsibility for 10+ Recreation sites in BC to ensure they and the roads leading to them stay open. These include Lodestone, Hale, Sunrise, Kenyon, Francis and others
• Hosted over 20 maintenance runs per year to various recreation sites; not only teaching people to wheel safely and responsibly but also maintaining the rec sites through garbage pick-up, repainting picnic tables, repairing outhouses, etc
• Negotiated the Eagle Mountain Key gate access program in Coquitlam
• Hosted ten cleanups at Stave Lake, pulling out over 200 tons of garbage from an important watershed
• Hosted two runs for Big Brothers and Sisters, and one for Burn victims
Through these efforts, we have managed to build a positive reputation on significant levels. These include BC Parks and Recs, Chilliwack Recreational Advisory Group, District of Mission, Thunder Mountain Raceway and numerous other parties that now seek out the opinion and assistance of the wheeling community when moving forward plans that can impact the off-road community in BC. We even have the news channels now seeking out the other side of the coin when they’ve heard a “bad story” to help ensure a positive side can be seen. Our most recent significant win was obtaining a block of land at Stave Lake to build a Motor Vehicle Park.
This helps ensure that we don’t lose the privileges/access to our tens of thousands of kilometres of dirt roads in BC. These include our local trails and the more rugged destination such as Poison, Churn, Teseko Lakes, Alexander McKenzie, Molybdenite, and many more. Without giving back to our outdoor community, we are at a high risk of losing these precious locales.
There are many other ways to give back, the 4WDABC is simply one of them, and I encourage you to find one near you where you can show the true heart of the BC off-road Community. Joining an association, like the 4WDABC, helps you build a solid family of like-minded individuals. A family where you get to share your stories and shared goals, create memories that will last you a lifetime and evolve your skills as an avid off-roader in a safe environment.
For more information on how to join the 4WDABC, please visit our website at http://www.4wdabc.ca
Trix's Trax 