Skip to content

Letter: Whither BITS? A Mount Gardner trail perspective

To the editor:

So where is Bowen Island Trail Society in all this discussion about Mount Gardner and the Recreation Sites and Trails B.C. decision? I will be frank in saying that the motorized/non-motorized discussion has taken a heavy toll on BITS over the past two years. Sadly, we have lost several dedicated and really excellent volunteers from our board of directors either directly or indirectly because of the conflict, That has been difficult to deal with in terms of maintaining momentum on our projects and enthusiasm for the society in general.  In turn we’ve had some disappointed members on both sides of the issue either through our actions or inactions.  

Prior to the municipality’s resolution, our directors were being dragged down by unending discussions of the issue and it was apparent to all of us that if the society was going to survive we needed to take a break while the decision was in RSTBC’s hands. 

In 2021 we stepped back from the fray and our priority became a more positive approach to getting busy with work on the mountain, and to engage positively with our members and the trail community in general. We completed a major mapping and signage project on Mount Gardner. Now we have a uniquely Bowen Island solution to trail wayfinding that will help reduce the number of people getting lost and enhance the experience of the thousands of visitors that come to hike on the mountain.  

The signage project is something we can all be proud of and I want to take this opportunity to be grateful for the hundreds of hours put in by people such as Bob Schultz who designed and created a beautiful and resilient signage scheme, our board of directors and the many volunteers involved in implementing the project.  

We also did our best to provide regular Covid-19-safe activities for members such as low-impact maintenance work on Handloggers Trail to address washouts and ponding, hosting a Rogaine (orienteering) event at Quarry Park, a 30 x 30 get-outside event and a trash pickup day. Many BITS volunteers put a significant effort into hosting two world-class mountain trail races in September.  

The plan is to continue with these member and trail-user engagement activities in 2022. Our project focus will shift from signposts to kiosks and mapping and ongoing low-impact maintenance.

Now that the RSTBC has a decision of sorts, positive energy is waning already as we debate the right stance to take.  As we move towards 2022, BITS will be proactive in representing the interests of our extensive but highly diverse non-motorized trail-user community on this issue. 

We are fully aware that this decision is difficult and unsatisfactory for many people in our trail-user community and we also recognize that we have a significant role to play in helping work towards a solution.  We have already been at the table with RSTBC, the municipality and the other trail stakeholders.  

Our directors are in agreement that, although we are a small society, we have a responsibility as well as a challenge to represent the many diverse viewpoints in a complex issue. While many of our members have spoken out about being firmly opposed to any form of motorized use on the mountain, we also know that there are some who believe that we should champion reasonable multi-use access with appropriate mitigations and restrictions in place. Equally, it must be said, there is a large number of non-motorized trail users who simply don’t want to raise their heads above the parapet to express their opinion one way or another.  

We recognize that this issue could take considerable time to sort out and resolve between RSTBC and the others involved so we think it is prudent to adopt a strategy with both short- and long-term perspectives and objectives.  One of the positive steps we have taken in that regard is to begin work on the details of a new Memorandum of Understanding with RSTBC, so that much needed maintenance work can continue in the short term. The recent heavy rainfall and winds have not been kind to the trees or trails on the mountain and we cannot afford to be fully distracted from the need for ongoing work.  

We strongly support the idea that additional stakeholders need to be invited to the table to help provide input from different perspectives and help sort this out.  We’re also going to embark on a process of gathering input on positive steps forward on those short- and long-term strategies from our members and the non-motorized trail user community. The issue is too large, too complex and too important to be left in the hands of a small band of trail walkers, hikers, runners, bikers.  

But let it be known that BITS is one small band that is firmly and passionately dedicated to caring for the health and safety of the trails on a mountain we all love for the benefit of present and future generations.

Phil Osborne

Bowen Island Trail Society