ATV group strives to improve image
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/02/2021 (1778 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Disheartened by the negative reputation all-terrain vehicle users have garnered, Chad Finlay said they’re not all the same.
“We get brushed with the same stroke of a few bad apples who rip around and stuff,” the Westman ATV Association president said.
Finlay’s comments come in reaction to a public push by equestrian riders to halt the province’s proposed welcoming of ATVs to the Souris Bend Wildlife Management Area’s southern trails.
The Sun reported on the issue in Tuesday’s newspaper, in which longtime trail manager Myna Margetts expressed her opposition to ATVs.
Though she clarified not all ATV users are problematic, enough of them had caused trouble for her to support the continued ban of motorized vehicles on the equestrian trail network, located between Nesbitt and Margaret.
While Margetts raised concerns about ATV users littering, tearing up the landscape and spooking horses, Finlay said his association of approximately 50 members espouse very different values.
Before every one of their monthly meetings and rides, members take a moment to go over safety guidelines, which include notes about respect.
“We talk about when you meet a horse you pull over, turn your machine off, let them pass and then keep going,” he said.
“We just really emphasize the respectful use of the land and other trail users because ATV users have a bad rap right now and we’re trying to improve the public’s perception of us.”
The group takes to picking up litter during rides and has even adopted stretches of highway they keep clean of trash throughout the year.
They maintain trails in the Camp Hughes area and have recently taken over maintenance of the 28-kilometre Strathcona Centennial Trail from Ninette to Baldur.
Although his association hasn’t lobbied the government for access to the Souris Bend trails, Finlay does have a message to ATV users who have caused equestrian riders grief: Stop it.
“If they keep doing things like this, we’re not going to have anywhere to ride eventually because everything will be shut down.”
Finlay said he’d like to see everyone involved open a dialogue.
“We need to have dialogue and open conversations — especially about this kind of thing where there are multiple user groups,” he said.
“We just need to have communication and respect for one another.”
Equestrian riders have started an online petition calling on the government to halt plans to allow motorized vehicles access to the Souris River Bend Wildlife Management Area.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the change.org effort had received 758 signatures.
The Westman ATV Association is linked to the ATV Association of Manitoba, and more information about the group is available online at atvmb.ca.
» tclarke@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB