Come out and join us on March 7 and help to beautify Sumas Mountain by cleaning up the garbage! 

My name is Doug Mossey and I had the honour of carrying the Olympic Torch on February 8, 2010.  My application to join the Olympic Torch Relay included a pledge to somehow better Canada.  I chose to organize a community event to clean up our much-loved Sumas Mountain!

So mark your calendar and come on out anytime between 10am and 4pm and let’s make a real difference to our local environment!

If you have a 4X4 or a large truck to offer, please email me at duga@lycos.com.

Meet at the Time Killer Exit (TimeOut) parking lot, which is at the end of Bakstad Road.

Driving Directions here: http://www3.telus.net/rossets/fvmba/Directions%20for%20Sumas%20FVMBA.pdf

]]> http://www.fvmba.com/2010/02/22/olympic-torchbearer-sumas-clean-up/feed/ http://www.fvmba.com/2010/02/01/letter-from-mission/ http://www.fvmba.com/2010/02/01/letter-from-mission/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 06:52:48 +0000 Steve General updates Mission Bear Mountain Red Mountain http://www.fvmba.com/2010/02/01/letter-from-mission/ The FVMBA recently received a letter from the City of Mission regarding unauthorized trail construction on Bear and Red mountains in Mission.  We support authorized trail construction and is more than willing to assist trail builders when there is a desire to create new, legitimate trails.

The author of the letter has given permission to present the letter in it’s entirety.

Dear Mountain Bike riders

Re: Unauthorized Trail Construction in Mission Municipal Forest

Over the past few decades, we have had the opportunity to meet with several of you and talk about improvements to recreation infrastructure in the Municipal Forest.  We also acknowledge the efforts you all make in keeping trails open for use.

And while you enjoy using the Crown and Private land that make up the Municipal Forest area, we asked for only one thing in return – that no new trails be constructed without first speaking to us.  There are several benefits to discussing your recreation ideas with us:

1. We have long term forest management plans and objectives that we can communicate with you.  Some areas have been set aside as long term reserves – which may be able accommodate permanent recreation infrastructure.  Other areas have had several silviculture treatments and management activities and are scheduled for harvesting in the short term.  Should you build a recreation trail without approval, you may find that several months of your efforts will be wasted as harvesting has been planned to take place soon after you are completed.

2. We have ideas on logical trail and road linkages and would appreciate any volunteer services that you would like to contribute to making these connections possible.  If trails are located where we are in agreement, we can incorporate them into having some kind of semi-permanent protection either for the short or long term.

3. It is against the law to construct a recreation trail without authority from the Crown - http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/tasb/legsregs/frpa/frpa/part5.htm#section57 and fines up to $100,000 can be levied by the Crown to the builders.

4. As some of you might know, we are currently working on a large integrated recreation plan for the west side of Stave Lake. This will be an exciting opportunity to plan and construct a variety of recreation trails including Mtn bike trails. However, we need to demonstrate to the approving agencies (MOF and MOTCA) that we have a “handle bar” on our current recreation development on the east side (ie. Bear Mtn and Red Mtn).

Note: Here are some examples of the issues that we have on Bear and Red Mtn:

-There have been some conflicts with our forestry planning and unauthorized trails. Someone has removed our operational flagging boundaries thereby wasting thousands of dollars that could have gone towards recreation development.

-Several trails and structures that were built in the past have not been maintained by those builders – resulting in unsafe situations for recreation users.

-Trails built through planned management areas cannot be accommodated.  We will not change harvesting plans, nor will we put trails back in place after harvesting in unauthorized areas.

-Some trails have been built on private property, causing severe disruption to those property owners.  Imagine someone coming to your residence and building something in your backyard without permission?

-The current network of trails is not well organized, marked or mapped properly. We have had people getting lost and we have had inexperienced riders getting on trails that were beyond their riding capabilities

Here is an example of a recent unauthorized trail construction, that we now have to take some action on:

-We are aware of a trail that has been built on Bear Mountain from the microwave tower road, without our permission or permission granted from the Crown, through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts.

-We had the intention of ignoring this construction, until an extremely long superstructure leaving the gravel road surface was built. This draws complete attention to this unauthorized trail.  This become apparent during an agency audit and unfortunately, we cannot have attention drawn to a feature which we did not authorize and have no intention of maintaining for the safe use by the public.

-If the builder had consulted with us prior to the construction of the trail, they would have found out that we had hand fertilized the Douglas-fir in this area in 2005, for a scheduled harvest by 2010-2011.  This is information that we could have easily given before someone dedicated an enormous amount of work into the building in this location.

-We want to let the builder know that this structure has to be removed before the end of February, otherwise the District of Mission will be obligated to remove it.

-This is just one example of what happens when the proper consultation and planning does not take place.

Therefore we request that you respect the Municipal Forest and we ask for your full cooperation in not developing trails without consultation and approval from our department and the agencies.  From  this point forward, failure to do so will result in such trails and structures in the Municipal Forest being dismantled. We are very fortunate here in Mission to have an amazing recreation area in our backyard. We want to work with you guys to establish a first class recreation area for all users.

We welcome your comments, ideas and cooperation.

Bob O’Neal, RPF

Forestry Manager

District of Mission

(604) 820-3763 (direct office number)

(604) 826-8633 (fax)

(604) 302-4083 (cel)

boneal@mission.ca

www.mission.ca

]]> http://www.fvmba.com/2010/02/01/letter-from-mission/feed/ http://www.fvmba.com/2009/12/01/annual-general-meeting/ http://www.fvmba.com/2009/12/01/annual-general-meeting/#comments Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:24:52 +0000 Steve General updates http://www.fvmba.com/2009/12/01/annual-general-meeting/ FVMBA

AGM – Annual General Meeting.

Jan 6, 2010
7:30 pm

Abbotsford Recreation Centre (The Loft)

2499 McMillan Road, Abbotsford

Come on out to the AGM, for our yearly update of Club activities, election of officers, and general discussion. Now is the time to speak up on any issues you have on your mind, and to ask us about the trails, and give us direction.

You don’t need to be a member to attend.

We are looking to expand our executive team and create new positions, so if you want to be involved, it’s very easy.

]]> http://www.fvmba.com/2009/12/01/annual-general-meeting/feed/ http://www.fvmba.com/2009/11/12/vedder-trail-clearing-sunday-november-15/ http://www.fvmba.com/2009/11/12/vedder-trail-clearing-sunday-november-15/#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:33:58 +0000 Tom General updates http://www.fvmba.com/2009/11/12/vedder-trail-clearing-sunday-november-15/ Todd is looking for some help at Vedder this weekend…
HELP WANTED. going to be heading up to vedder on Sunday Nov 15 @ 10am to do some raking of leaves. anyone who is interested in helping out can show up rain or shine. I would like to get “2 cents, skidder and dilemma” raked and any small puddles drained to make the trails dry out quicker and a little less slimy. any help would be great. so if anyone needs some bike karma show up with rakes in hands and if we have enough people show up we might even be able to get the back side of the hill raked and winter ready as well. I will also be going up Saturday to work on the “36″ tranny if you can’t make it out Sunday.

thanx

1. Bike Patrol (ala Reno 911)

2. Tooth Fairy

3. Peanut Butter and Jam (great couple costume!)

We had a great time putting on the event…look for lots more fun events like this one in the year to come!

A few pics courtesy of Tyler from Pinkbike.com

]]> http://www.fvmba.com/2009/10/13/2009-fvmba-halloween-ride/feed/ http://www.fvmba.com/2009/09/20/timber-harvesting-in-septemberoctober-2009/ http://www.fvmba.com/2009/09/20/timber-harvesting-in-septemberoctober-2009/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 04:31:20 +0000 Dean General updates Maple Ridge Trail conditions Woodlot http://www.fvmba.com/2009/09/20/timber-harvesting-in-septemberoctober-2009/ ***Attention mountain bikers and trail users at “The Woodlot” in Maple Ridge***

Please note that there will be timber harvesting operations taking place at Woodlot 0007 in September and October 2009. The main access roads will have logging trucks and or heavy machinery on them so please be aware and yield to the machinery and trucks. The areas to be harvested are blocks 14 and 15 of Woodlot 0007. Block 14 contains the trail QUICK HIT and the main access road up the hill. Block 15 is west along one of the access roads and not within the mountain bike trail area.

Please obey all signs that will be posted. Below you can see the area that is to be harvested. Any trails that are closed and or damaged during the harvesting will eventually be repaired and re opened by volunteers of the Fraser Valley Mountain Bike Association once the harvesting is complete.

VICTORIA – Fraser Valley residents will benefit from $328,000 to improve travel and safety conditions on the Norrish Creek, Sumas Mountain, Chehalis River and Lost Creek Mountain Forest Service roads, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell, Community Development Minister Kevin Krueger and Maple Ridge-Mission MLA Randy Hawes announced today.

“In many areas, Forest Service roads provide essential connections for rural residents and access to recreation sites,” said Bell. “Keeping these roads safe and open is important to the quality of life for residents of Mission and visitors alike.”

The Norrish Creek Forest Service road is 15 kilometres east of Mission and provides recreational and other access within the Norrish Creek Community Watershed. The Sumas Mountain Forest Service road provides access to trails and recreation sites at Sumas Mountain regional park, as well as a mountain bike trail network managed by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts. Work on these roads includes steep slope stabilization, ditching, road surface repairs, grading, brushing, and safety signage.

“These improvements are so important for people who have to use these roads,” said Randy Hawes, MLA for Maple Ridge-Mission. “We are giving these people an extra sense of security and hopefully we can encourage other people to get out and visit the recreational sites that these roads service.”

The Chehalis River Forest Service road near Harrison Mills provides access to recreation sites at Chehalis Lake, private residences, the Kwìkwèxwelhp Healing Village and a variety of recreational opportunities for the public. Work on this road includes ditching, culvert maintenance, brushing, and road safety signage.

“Communities in this region have told this government they value the economic and social opportunities that come from having a stronger road network. We listened and we are taking action to strengthen the connection between isolated communities and city centres,” said Krueger. “Whether it’s accessing health care, exploring new mineral opportunities or opening new regions to tourism, the benefits of this investment will strengthen the region as a whole.”

The Lost Creek Forest Service road, two kilometres east of Mission, provides access to 30 properties licensed to the Stave Lake Leaseholders Association and to Davis Lake Provincial Park. The road also provides access to a popular recreation area including sites at Salsbury Lake and Kenyon Lake which are co-managed by Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts and the Four Wheel Drive Association of British Columbia. Improvements to the Lost Creek road include traffic delineation to protect sensitive forest land, road surface repairs, brushing, and safety signage.

“B.C.’s recreation sites and trails are not only enjoyed by the local communities, they’re also an important part of our diverse tourism offerings,” said Bill Bennett, Minister of Tourism Culture and the Arts. “By improving forest service roads, we’re ensuring that these sites and trails can be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike for years to come.”

British Columbia’s 55,000-kilometre network of Forest Service roads is bigger than the provincial highway system. As first announced by Premier Gordon Campbell at the 2008 Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, the Ministry of Forests and Range is providing $20 million to improve travel conditions on Forest Service roads that serve as crucial transportation links to rural communities and recreation sites. The Province of B.C. and the Government of Canada committed on April 7, 2009 to a further $20 million in shared funding for additional Forest Service road upgrades that will be announced in the coming months.

New road maintenance funding is the latest in a series of initiatives to improve safety on Forest Service roads, which include the establishment of radio protocols, speed enforcement through expanded use of radar guns, and the expansion of the Vehicle Identification Plates Program.

-30-

Reference #: 2009FORZ0082-000912
Date released: Apr 10, 2009
Region: Coast Forest Region
Category: General

Contact(s):

Jennifer McLarty
Public Affairs Officer
Ministry of Forests and Range
250 387-4592

Mark Steinebach, VMTA
“Making Vedder Trails Better”