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Protection de nos sentiers paisibles
David Peterson décrit son travail sur le réseau de sentiers au
Nouveau-
Brunswick.
"La protection permanente de Sentier NB Trail et de d’autres
sections de sentiers non motorisés au Nouveau-
Brunswick est une responsabilité majeure de Sentiers Nouveau-
Brunswick Inc.", dit-il. Il nous parle également de plusieurs
programmes disponibles et des nombreux bienfaits de tels sentiers.
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Protecting
our
Quiet Trails
David Peterson,
President, New Brunswick Trails Council Inc.
February 2000
 hen I
was asked to help save the abandoned rail line between Fredericton and
Mactaquac for use as a walking trail, I thought the toughest fight would
be over when the trail was established and we had educated trail users
as to proper trail etiquette and demonstrated to the adjacent property
owners how well it would work when it was finished. The Valley  Trail, as
it is now identified, is open within the limits of the City of
Fredericton and we have completed hundreds of kilometres of additional
trail throughout New Brunswick. Unfortunately for me, that turned out to
be the easy part of the process. The most difficult work has been
fighting off the latecomers, the ATVers, who were so impressed by what
we had accomplished that they decided they should be entitled to move in
with their high-powered machines and take over. Some of them may best be
described as trail terrorists, trespassing on other peoples' property,
destroying gates, signs, treadway and harassing non-motorized users
throughout rural and urban New Brunswick. Why is that some people think
that purchasing a $10,000 machine gives you the right to trespass, to
drive on public roads, destroy water courses and dig huge trenches in
the earth?
In the last century the automobile developed to the point that we
could no longer use the road system for walking, horse-drawn equipment
or cycling. Many decades later we finally found a safe place for
pedestrians to enjoy the outdoors with their families, and once again
the motorized vehicles want us to share it with them. Many of the
"letter writers" in support of the motorized-vehicle
recreationalist tend to immediately diminish the importance of the
intrinsic environmental and true recreational benefits of trails and
greenway corridors. Their arguments are always economic; ATVers pay
taxes, buy gas, food and beverages, and would even be willing to pay a
small fee for the opportunity to dominate our trail system. Consider the
cost to the taxpayer of the ATV related permanent injuries, the health
care cost to the taxpayer for our failure to improve the overall health
of Canadians, the cost of liability insurance to the trail managers, the
cost of maintenance to repair the damage they inflict on the trail and
the price we all pay for their noise pollution and exhaust emissions
that ruin the natural environment for other trail users and adjacent
property owners. A recent study of the World Health Organization
indicated that physical activity reduces the risk of "coronary
heart disease, type II diabetes, colon cancer, back pain, hypertension,
obesity, osteoporosis, anxiety and stress." In any event, the
non-monetary value of open space should continue to be the primary
emphasis in conservation efforts.
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Recent surveys indicate that
walking is the most
popular
physical activity of over
85% of Canadians
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Over the last several years motorized-vehicle recreationalists have
invested thousands of dollars in high-powered vehicles, knowing full
well that they had no place to operate them. The flatness and
straightness of those sections of our trails on abandoned rail
rights-of-way allows them to travel at top speeds. A motorized vehicle
increases the range of the motorized recreationalist, but also raises
the severity of the impact to the environment. The noise, speed and
weight of ATV's renders them largely incompatible with conservation and
adjacent land uses with environmental sensitivity. Additionally, they
are the subject of complaint in residential and agricultural areas.
Approximately 4% of New Brunswick residents own ATVs. Compare that to
walking and cycling. Recent surveys indicate that walking is the most
popular physical activity of over 85% of Canadians and 66% of Canadians
report that they would like to cycle more often.
Walkers, hikers, runners, cyclists, equestrians, cross-country skiers
and snow walkers have invested a great effort in developing the Sentier
NB Trail as a safe environment, one that does not contain motorized
vehicles. The New Brunswick Trails Council Inc. is dedicated to high
quality recreation experiences for citizens and visitors of New
Brunswick through promotion, education, facilitation and other functions
required for the development and management of a world class trail
system.
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(photo: Sentier NB Trails Inc.)
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We are currently involved in three major projects; The Trans Canada
Trail, Sentier NB Trail and The International Appalachian Trail. The
Trans Canada Trail winds its way through every Province and Territory in
Canada, linking thousands of communities along its route. It will be the
longest trail in the world, spanning approximately 15,000 km. The Trans
Canada Trail will accommodate walking, cycling, horseback riding, cross
country skiing and, where possible, snowmobiling. In New Brunswick if a
portion of the trail allows snowmobiling, the snowmobilers will have the
exclusive use of the trail during the winter season. The International
Appalachian Trail is a hiking trail beginning at Mount Katahdin, Maine
winding through New Brunswick to Parc Forillon in the Gaspe region of
Quebec. Sentier NB Trail is a 2400 km. trail with the same five core
activities as the Trans Canada Trail.
In March of 1995 our report, "Leading To A Provincial Trail
System For New Brunswick", established as one of its four
objectives for Sentier NB Trail, "to facilitate a greater
awareness, understanding and appreciation of the natural bio-physical,
human, cultural and scenic diversity of New Brunswick". The task
force recognized that potential exists for interpretation and
educational activities. Interpretive vistas and observation points for
viewing wildlife, bird nesting areas and unique plant systems could be
organized by Local Trail Sponsors. We believe in providing a system that
will preserve and enhance the natural environment and increase public
awareness of that environment.
The task force realized that preservation of a trail corridor for
non-motorized recreational uses provided a lower impact on ecosystems
than most other uses and at the same time a green space provided a
habitat for wildlife. Other
possible ecol- ogical benefits of Sentier NB Trail include: offering
alternative transportation means; serving as a buffer zone to watersheds
and wetlands; providing access to rivers and lakes; protecting
ecosystems; and providing green spaces for the enjoyment of current and
future generations. The diverse natural features of the province provide
an excellent setting for education and interpretative opportunities by
bringing students closer to New Brunswick's natural heritage and the
environment.
In five years we have established a very active New Brunswick Trails
Council Inc. with over eighty Local Trail Sponsors (community based
volunteer groups) and many partners including The Trans Canada Trail
Foundation, Canadian Geographic, Go For Green and Friends of the
Environment Foundation, as well as several government agencies.
We have produced, developed and are involved in:
- a newsletter, "Trail News"
- a bilingual educational workbook, "Come Hike and Bike with
Ranger Robin", which is free of charge to elementary schools in
N.B.
- a Trail Club made up of retailers who offer discounts to our
members
- a Provincial Trail Patrol to monitor activity along the trail, to
provide first aid, minor equipment repairs, assistance, tourism
information and to encourage compliance with trail regulations and
etiquette.
- an Adopt-A-Trail program encouraging everyone to take
responsibility for a section of trail.
Most importantly we have completed 900 km. of trail to cycling
standards, with another 300 km. available for other limited uses.
We are also working on an inventory of biophysical features to be
found along Sentier NB Trail. The goal is to generate a complete record
of the features that can be experienced along Sentier NB Trail, such as
rivers, ecosystems and forest types, rare plants, scenic views and
vistas, gorges, escarpments, waterfalls, bogs, lakes, settlements, trail
access points and historical and cultural sites such as old train
stations, cemeteries and covered bridges.
We are presently developing a strategy to complete and manage Sentier
NB Trail. There will be two partners in the development and management
of Sentier NB Trail; the Government of New Brunswick and the New
Brunswick Trails Council Inc. Our original intent was that Sentier NB
Trail would be a community based system managed by community-based
groups under the co-ordination of their umbrella organization the New
Brunswick Trails Council Inc.
Permanent protection of Sentier NB Trail and other non-motorized
trails in New Brunswick is a major responsibility of the New Brunswick
Trails Council Inc. We cannot do it without your help. The silent
majority are at risk of losing more than they can imagine. We welcome
your participation and support. Please contact our office on our toll
free number 1-800-526-7070. http://www.sentiernbtrail.com
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