Decision by CRD's parks committee was unanimous

Off-road vehicles wont be allowed in Capital Regional District parks, but an area should be found for people who want to explore the wilderness on machines, the regions parks committee decided Wednesday.

The committee voted unanimously in favour of keeping its policy banning off-road vehicles such as motorbikes and all-terrain vehicles in CRD parks. The divisive issue came up last month, when representatives from off-roading groups complained they had fewer places to go as former logging properties are sold and converted to parks.

The groups were responding to discussion of a proposed management plan for the Sooke Hills Wilderness parks, including Ayum Creek, Kapoor, Sea to Sea and Sooke Potholes regional parks.

The committee heard dozens of impassioned pleas from people adamantly opposed to allowing motorized vehicles. Machines and their operators would destroy everything from the peace and quiet to drinking water, ripping up trails and endangering hikers, said speakers representing hiking and outdoors groups.

But Terrance Martin of the South Island Motorized Recreation Advisory Council said off-roaders dont want to tear up mountainsides and destroy habitat; they want clearly defined access to two Sooke Hills area lakes. Right now, he said, many off-roaders are all over the area.

We are saying there is a better way. We are talking about a strictly managed activity.

That may be so for the all-terrain-vehicle drivers in the packed CRD boardroom, but there are others who are not as responsible, said David Anderson, a former federal environment minister and former MP for Victoria.

We cant have a policy restricted to good people. We have to have a policy for all, said Anderson, who brought in a prop an empty plastic oil container he found in Shields Lake while hiking this week in the Sooke Hills area.

ATVs, by definition, are off-road vehicles. They say they will stick to two designated roads. That is absolute rubbish, Anderson said.

Changing the policy to allow off-road vehicles could severely affect fundraising, said Bill Turner, executive director of The Land Conservancy, which has been heavily involved in funding parks. Donors contribute knowing the CRD provides strong stewardship for land, but might hesitate if the CRD changes such a fundamental principle, Turner said.

Metchosin Mayor John Ranns cautioned that a time may come when a road to one of the lakes in the Sooke area might have to be considered, to take pressure off heavily used lakes such as Matheson and Thetis.

The CRD will continue working with forest companies in the Sooke area to see if there is a spot off-roaders can use, said parks committee chairman Christopher Causton.