Dear Editor:
There is a set of hills to the west of Summerland generally known as Cartwright Mountain.
Over the years it was an area criss-crossed by a series of flumes which brought irrigation water to most of Summerland’s orchards.
After the flumes were removed the area they had occupied became a neat set of hiking and walking trails. Added to them were natural deer trails which could take you right up to the top if you were so athletically inclined.
Most of the land was Crown land.
Nowadays, some of the lower area is being filled in with housing, but there are still parts where the old flume trails can be used, providing the owners don’t mind you trespassing.
I understand that now all of the property is privately owned so all of us who walk or hike up there are trespassers. However, a group of mountain bikers have received permission to build an extensive trail system on some of the land.
I’ve been trespassing on Cartwright since shortly after the flumes were removed, enjoying nature in its natural state — before bikes, horseback riders, and motorcycles.
A lot of people like myself are up there enjoying our natural “church.” For some of us who prefer the outdoors, nature is our church.
Unfortunately, there are people who don’t share the same ideals.
Nature belongs to everybody, but it should be respected.
Building bike trails, log jumps, cutting down trees, even with the permission of the owner, seems to be the wrong way to go about it.
Next thing you know, the mountain will be a clear-cut, with a race track; something that it is starting to look like now.
Frank Martens
Summerland
