Nice that it hasn't even been considered what positive impacts the groups which MEC funds may have. I'm sure none of those groups ever did anything important, ever. Probably spend 100[HTML_REMOVED]#37; of their time trying to ban all mountain biking. /sarc
To me, long-term preservation of parks and protected areas is actually something worthwhile, and as I understand it that is what those groups mainly do. But I guess if you never do anything but ride a bike you might not see it this way.
You guys getting worked up over the slim chance that our government might change it's pro-bike tourism stance and start banning mountain biking due to the viewpoint of these groups is a bit much.
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AWESOME. That is definitely a fair generalization of my point. An MEC grant has never gone towards anything good. So just to clarify your historic and current views on the subject with the same general brush:
-Monica Craver : Bad
-Well funded and organized groups using the same pseudo-scientific bullshit as her to try and shut down trails : Good
-Closing trails on Fromme, Seymour and Cypress: Bad
-Supporting an anti-mountain-bike organization that wants to shut down the entire trail network in Sooke because they may do something positive somewhere else: Good
I cannot believe that someone who has been involved with the politics associated with mountain biking in North Vancouver this long doesn't see how easy it is to get individual areas shut down one at a time.
It is not about changing the province's view on eco-tourism it is about shutting down Pink Starfish, then consolidating Digger and Boundary, then closing Mountain View park, now Grannies is not ridden anyways so lets close it, Upper Oil Can is "unsustainable," the ecological foot print on Lower Crippler is too high even though the whole area is zoned for housing, well we closed everything else lets close this too.
Regardless of what percentage of your dollar is saving the whales and what percentage is going to the Stream Keepers, Sierra Club, WCWC, Sierra Legal Defence Fund and various other groups with a majority of members who are against mountain bikers as trail users you are still contributing an amount of money to organizations who would like limit you to riding the Sea Wall and some select fireroads.
You definitely would not be milling up fallen "feeder tress" into rungs.
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P.S. Arguments aside: Huge props to MEC and MANY other clubs and groups (and local bike shops) that raised the significant funds neccesary to save Mount Benson in Nanaimo from development. Now future generations of Mountain Bikers and Sierra Club members can fight over who is allowed to use it.
Mean People SUCK! Nice People SHOVEL!
Trails For All; Trails For Weather
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