Boundary country identifies itself in part by the many trails that cut through the region’s forests and meander along its rivers. From the major veins of the Kettle Valley Rail Trail in the West and the Columbia & Western Rail Trail in the east, to the smaller and locally created pathways up the backsides of mountains, people in the area have shown their desire to get outdoors.
Now, the province of B.C. is looking for citizen feedback on a trails strategy for B.C. that will aim to address action items identified by stakeholders to include enhancing environmental awareness among users, integrating trails into active transportation networks, improving regulations and policy about trail use and supporting local trail groups in their work.
The province has put out an online questionnaire to solicit feedback from the public, available through engage.gov.bc.ca.
The thorough survey first aims to understand how individuals engage locally with their trail systems, before probing respondents about how their local systems are doing and what could be done to better support community trails infrastructure, maintenance and use.
With Grand Forks looking to brand itself as a hub for cycling in B.C. and Midway setting itself up much in the same way at the foot of the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, local insight and commentary on trail usage and challenges could help bolster the use of outdoor recreation opportunities in the region.
According the Recreation Sites and Trails BC, the province boasts more than 30,000 kilometres of designated trails.
LINK: Trails Strategy Review
The last day to fill out the survey is Feb. 28, 2020.