Ardbeg - No Long Weekend Camping

[DasZuk]

Yikes !
I got home from work this evening and Kelly excitedly handed me an envelope from the Ministry of Natural Resources addressed to SuziTrails.
Wow !
That's the very first time mail (or anything for that matter) has come addressed to SuziTrails...
The contents of the letter however was not good news. I'll give you the main bits here, and post an actual copy of the letter on SuziTrails if anyone wants to read the whole thing.

Basically the MNR, Parry Sound district has now posted that "No Camping" will be allowed within 2kms of the main campground at Black Lake on the following inclusive dates:
Oct 10-13, 2003
April 9-12, 2004
May21-24, 2004
July 1-4, 2004
July 30-Aug 2, 2004
Sept. 3-6, 2004
Oct 8-11, 2004
"Failing to comply with this direction is a violation of Sect.28 of the Public Lands Act. This section makes it an offence to possess, occupy or use any public lands which have been posted prohibiting a specific activity. Anyone convicted of this offence could face fines of up to $ 10,000.

MNR staff have been actively monitoring use of this area and documenting the impact four wheel drive vehicles and campers have had on the surrounding land. A number of 4x4 clubs were advised over the last 2 years that their usage of the land was being closely monitored and damage to wetlands, snowmobile and bushtrails, garbage and human waste at Black Lake would not be tolerated by the Ministry. They urged all groups to use the area responsibly and ensure their activities would not negatively impact Crown land or other users. Since that time they have documented damage to the Hydro corridor road and side trails, found abandoned private property and garbage in campsites, and received reports of confrontations between campers in the area and other recreational users of the trail corridor. Based on the continued incidents, the office is taking the step of posting the area "NO CAMPING" on all long weekends for the remainder of 2003 and all of 2004.

And the letter was signed by the Area Supervisor for the Parry Sound MNR Area.

I'll scan the letter later this evening and post it up on SuziTrails...

Gerry

[MuddMachine]

Wow Gerry, thats wild. We were there May24/2003 and what you tell me doesnt surprise me. I must say tho, after we left, I noticed the campground was extremely clean for a May 24 with the exception of the crew from www.obsessiveoffroad.com who burned all thier garbage bags at the end of the weekend. Actually garbage bags was the least of it as they burned a whole bunch of shit including a mattress. I thought Uncle Don was gonna get into a scrap with a few of them cuz he started crackin off about thier 'practice'. This is what I was getting at in the thread about Greens regarding all the garbage and brown bottles on the trail. MNR is onto us bigtime.

[DasZuk]

Yup !
It really sucks...
I've got a scanned copy of the MNR notice up in the "Trails Gallery" at SuziTrails if anyone wants to read the whole thing.Ardbeg MNR notice (http://suzitrails.ca/modules.php?set_albumName=album30&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php)
It's time for people to sit up and take notice that the privilege of free and easy access to Crown Land can't be taken forgranted, and that the misdeeds of a few make a heck of a black mark on all the rest of us...

Gerry

[Depot]

anyone notice on page 3 who the cc receipients were of that letter?

Municipality of Whitestone - ok i understand that


Hydro One - Chris Vanderest

hmmm.. seems like hydro one is doin some bitchin about our presence on their powerlines - go figure, it takes big money to make a change like that happen.

just an observation


D

[Depot]

for those of u that may be curious....


Unauthorized occupation, etc., of posted public lands

28.__(1)__The Ministry may cause to be erected on any public lands, including a road under the jurisdiction of the Minister, signs prohibiting, controlling or governing,

(a) the possession, occupation or any use or uses thereof; or

(b) the parking of vehicles thereon. R.S.O. 1990, c._P.43, s._28_(1).

Offences

(2)__Every person who possesses, occupies or uses any public lands on which signs have been erected under clause (1)_(a) in contravention of any such sign, or who parks a vehicle on public lands on which signs have been erected under clause (1)_(b) in contravention of any such sign, and who has had a reasonable opportunity of seeing any of such signs, is guilty of an offence. R.S.O. 1990, c._P.43, s._28_(2); 2000, c._26, Sched._L, s._9_(6).


reprinted without permision so **** em! but u gotta love how broad their power really is... we can do what we want when we want and nutin u can do about it as long as we put a sign up and u had a reasonbale chance of seing that sign... hmmmmmmmm -

anyone know if they put those signs up in french??? being a multilingual country - dont they have to??? i wish i could speak frech so i could try that argument with em! lol


jsut being a snod tonite... ignore me.. go name my truck!

:D :D


l8r

D

[GearHead]

Hmm
I will have to talk with bill at Hol's again.
He was talking to people at hydro one and they did not seem to care if people treaded heavy in the hydro ROW. As long as hydros plant was not touched (towers, guy wires, grounding wire) the impression that bill got was there were happy if we killed some vegitation. They have to go in a clear cut and defoliate everth 4-5 years.
As far as the ministry getting pissed off i can see there point. Some people just dont give a shit about the area. I think the problem has gotten worse since the road into the main camp was improved. When this road was in poor condition the access to the main camp site was limmited. Now you see all kinds of vehicles in there. tow rigs, campers, and with that comes more crap for people to burn, leave behind. Also the area is beeing used by NON-4X4's as a bush party area because they can drive there moms honda in there.
I have camped in that area for years and always made a point of packing out more that i took in.

Personaly i am in favor of a trail/camping permit. You would need a permit to use you off highway vehicle on crown land inluding quads and bikes, and unregistered vehicles. If you saw some one beeing a dick you could forward some photos and there permit number to the mnr. They may or may not take action from there.

My family has a cottage in the area, thus i know some of the local people with the municipality. We should arange something like other areas have. The municipality drops of a bin and we clena up the area. Say every fall just before hunting season starts.

I think Ardbeg is one of the best areas in ontario to go wheeling and would hate to see it totaly closed.

later
steve

[Shadow]

gearhead you may have something there....

since you know people in the area why don't you approach the municipality about doing a clean up day at this location..post it around telling people about it and see how things go. you never know in the end "clean up day" could be the beginning of keeping this open....

if you need advise i'm sure mudlite can help you there. he organizes one yearly in the ottawa rea and gets all kinds of newspaper and tv coverage for it..

shadow

[Mudslug]

The problem is that very few people actually see or believe that the Ministry can and will close off all the offroad lands if everyone dosen't clean up their act (sorry bad pun).

I would suggest taking photos of all the idiots littering and causing damage and posting them in a "Gallery of Shame" here on the site.....although I do not know the legalities of this.

Also why can't we approach the MnR and ask what we as responsible offroaders can do to protect our trails and what actions we can take. I have no problem reporting someone who is littering or damaging a trail. Call me a tattle tail if you wish but I have been offroading longer than most of the "problem people" have been mall crawling.

[MuddMachine]

Originally posted by Mudslug


I would suggest taking photos of all the idiots littering and causing damage and posting them in a "Gallery of Shame" here on the site.....although I do not know the legalities of this.



Fuk the legalities....... you can take a picture of anything your little heart desires and (less porn) and I'll post it. Once we get 6 or more 'SHAME' pictures, we'll open a new page for them.

:beer:

[gordZuki]

contact a local land owner with some open feild and offer them 15 bucks per vehicle to allow u to camp on his land for the weekend and tell them it will be cleaned up ... i doubt they'd turn down a couple hundred bucks cash

[GearHead]

What i am worried about is not camping access.
Personaly this does not affect me, i have a warm dry family cottage about 30mins from the trail head in ardbeg.

The thing i am worried about is the closure of the land to 4x4 traffic. Yes the MNR does have the right and power to do this.

The interesting thing about the "hydro" trail to the north of black lake is that it is on the map as a road. Have a look on a good road map, its there.

So far the camping bans are for long weekends only, hopfully this will be all that is closed.

later
steve