Draft DWV Trails Plan is up - Public feedback due by Oct 20th. Impacts CYPRESS riding

Hello Cypress Riders!

The DWV recently published its Draft Plan for Trails on Public Land. It is available here.

You have probably noticed AlanBs previous threads on NSMB about the evolving (albeit slowly!) land oversight situation in West Van; he has brought me into the discussion.

This Plan relates mostly to the trails on public land, but within the Plan, the District is placing high importance on collaboration with private land owners regarding the use of their lands by various user groups. So I wouldn’t view this effort as impacting only the trails that are on District land. This is bigger than that. The District is asking for near-term feedback from the public.

Now is the time to speak up if you want to be heard!

You can do so in a number of ways:

1) Probably the most important is that you contact the District directly with your feedback on the Plan. You can do so by emailing: [email protected].
2) Post in this thread. The District will be made aware of this thread. Please be constructive!
3) There is no right/wrong/clear pathway so if you have any ideas, feel free to pursue those in parallel, post here, whatever. This is about making sure that mtb’ers have a voice and making sure that the District knows that this discussion matters.

We have a narrow window to influence the Plan. The final Plan will determine the fate of the trails in DWV and the public is being invited to provide comments BY FRIDAY OCT 20th.

I will leave the interpretation of the report to each of you, but my summary is:
1) Mountain Biking is not a currently recognized (or acknowledged) activity in the DWV,
2) The District is aware that Mountain biking has been occurring for decades on both public and private lands, but
3) Mtb’ing has been occurring on unauthorized trails,
4) The DWV recognizes that mtb’ing is an important activity to both residents and visitors,
5) The District now places high priority on recognizing Mountain Biking as an activity, but
6) The District is also very concerned about new rogue trail building, however
7) The District seems to place much blame on rogue trail building on the fact that there is no mechanism for the mtb community to discuss anything to do with Mountain Biking because it is not a recognized activity.

To me, it appears that the District wishes to install a mechanism to discuss the trails with the riding community – which in my view means two things: It is willing to acknowledge riding in the forest (good!) and it wants mtb'ing overseen. Oversight will result in changes, which could be good or bad for us.

The discussion is starting – you have until Oct 20th to provide feedback. Please email [email protected] with your views, post here and if you’re interested in becoming involved, AlanB and I would like to hear from you.

Come one come all. Preserve the GNAR!!!!

Interesting paragraph on e-bikes in the Trail Use section.

Have they adequately covered the lack of authorized mountain bike trails?  They're clear enough about the challenge of unauthorized trail building.

I have to say it seems all the trails on cypress are "rogue trails" are they not?

They’re all unauthorised today if that’s what you mean, but the DWV is clearly separating existing trails from new “rogue” trails that may be popping up. 

It seems to me that we are in a position to have the existing trails authorized (finally), at least on public land. The DWV appears willing to recognize mtbing as an activity, it appears to want to work with private land owners on the mtb trails, possibly even declaring trails mtb primary. 

My view is that we are in a strong position to move this dialogue forward in a formal way and the DWV seems to want that to happen

Anyone have a land manager map for Cypress? It is mostly BPP and Cypress PP?

Posted by: fun-house

Anyone have a land manager map for Cypress? It is mostly BPP and Cypress PP?

See Map 1: Property Ownership and Trails in the Upper Lands Working Group Final Report - Background document.

The Trail Plan is only for trails on public land. The bulk of the trails around the 3rd switchback are on private land and may or may not be affected by the plan. It totally depends on what the land owner decides to do with the trails as part of the Cypress Village development. That's a separate issue.

The trails between the 4th and 2nd switchback cross both public and private land. This includes Mystery DH, Meat Sweats and Jersey Shore. These might be candidates for acquiring rights-of-way, but a lot of things need to happen first;

1. Trails Plan finalized (2018)

2. Develop process/standards for volunteer trail work

3. Work with user groups to establish trails classification standards

4. Classify existing trails

5. Gap analysis on trail inventory

6. Adjust trail inventory to fill gaps

Re BPP's lands: There is no doubt that most of the trails are on BPPs land but keep in mind that the Draft Plan has placed high priority on establishing mtbing as an activity in DWV and importantly, that it also places high priority on collaborating with Private land owners regarding a strategy for "managing authorized and unauthorized trails on private lands".

There is so much to gain by seizing this opportunity to work with the District as our community will need its support to make headway with BPP (who is concerned about liabilities).

There will be good and less good ( : ) ) outcomes from this discussion. But if we don't have it, there's probably only downside for us.

The expectation is that the bulk of of trails on BPP land will be part of the Cypress Village Area Development Plan (ADP). That is a separate process and the trails may or may not be impacted by the Trails Plan.

Yes, but the Plan has the potential to result in something that could be a much more solid platform for when that BPP discussion happens (or doesn't happen - maybe the fences will just go up one day).