Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
B.C.’s network of off-road vehicle-friendly backcountry trails is getting a boost, thanks to a new provincial government fund.
The ORV Trail Management Sub-Account is financed through a portion of fees ORV owners pay to ICBC when registering their vehicles. The $320,000-and-growing fund is dedicated to supporting projects that build new – and maintain existing – vehicle-friendly recreation trails in remote and rural areas throughout the province and to promoting safe and responsible ORV use.
In 2015, the Province introduced mandatory registration for off-road vehicles operated on Crown land. Since then, British Columbians have registered more than 100,000 ORVs, at a one-time fee of $48 per vehicle.
The fee is designed to support the Province’s off-road vehicle management framework, an integrated plan designed that ensures off-road vehicles – including snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles or “quads”, dirt bikes and side-by-sides – are driven in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.
The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, through its Recreation Sites and Trails branch, will administer the fund.
Staff are developing formal project guidelines that will be available to First Nations and stakeholder groups for review this fall. No projects will be selected until the formal guidelines and application process are in place.
Projects supported by the new fund will be in line with B.C.’s trails strategy, which guides the Province as it works to sustain a network of environmentally responsible backcountry trails. B.C. developed the strategy in consultation with First Nations, local and regional governments, recreational organizations and industry.
B.C.’s recreation sites and trails receive around 9.7 million visitors each year and contribute $112 million to the provincial GDP.
B.C.’s recreation sites and trails support 2,700 full-time jobs in rural and remote locations throughout B.C.
Find information on registering your ORV: http://www.icbc.com/vehicle-registration/specialty-vehicles/Pages/Off-road-vehicles.aspx
To read more about B.C.’s off-road vehicle management framework: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/natural-resource-use/land-use/crown-land/crown-land-uses/off-road-vehicles
