A Promising Future
In the midst of a sea of rumours regarding permanent trail closers by the District of North Vancouver, more then two dozen individuals including myself were once again issued building and maintenance permits by the very same authority.
Despite the speculation of impending doom for our beloved network of trails, things are, in reality, promising for a lack of a better word when considering the future of mountain biking on the Shore. Promising may be just the right word in fact, when considering the progressive efforts that the NSMBA and the District of North Vancouver are taking together in solidifying and legitimizing our presence on the Shore.
For the 2008 season, the District of North Vancouver has issued 28 permits, an increase of 8 permits from the previous year, with the majority being issued for Mount Fromme.
The NSMBA and the District are creating greater communication between themselves and all parties including: land users, land owners, the LSCR, and the District of West Vancouver. With the District of North Vancouver acting as a centralized hub, there is no doubt that all stakeholders will benefit by this enhanced communication, while a formally structured program which solidifies the permit process is also implemented.
It could easily be argued that these two individuals are solely responsible for the enhanced efforts between the NSMBA and the District of North Vancouver. Without these two, who knows where we would be today? Dieter Bahr (the handsome kid on the right), Trail Director for the NSMBA, and Graham Knell (the other handsome kid on the left, and no, they are not twins!) of the Parks Department for the DNV.
We had just over a handful or so of the 28 builders show up to receive their permits and chat about the long overdue and anticipated season.
Here’s to a great upcoming season!
Eamonn
