Dear Editor:
Re: Bikes bad for nature?, Burnaby NOW, July 5. In 1970, while preparing walking trails throughout Burnaby, I met with a group of motorcyclists (mud bikers) on Burnaby Mountain. After agreeing that bike trails down the slopes of Burnaby Mountain would be very damaging with erosion, we went so far as visiting a Kamloops area called Bachelor Hills.
We saw the devastation the bike trails caused there (and with very little rainfall). The damage was irreparable, so the bikers moved farther along the slopes repeating their carnage of this fragile soil layer.
The City of Kamloops finally stopped random bike hill climbing and instead set aside only controlled areas.
When the City of Burnaby trails were planned, it was recommended that the paths be designed so as not to damage stream banks, and, by design, selected areas were incorporated so users could view the stream. This was spelled out in a report in 1972 by the Burnaby parks and recreation commission of the day, also recommending the protection of remaining streams and open up culverted streams, where possible and further allow creeks and streams to maintain their natural coarse.
The City of Burnaby engineering took further action by controlling storm sewage pollution from entering these streams.
In the 1990s, about 1,000 acres of Burnaby Mountain was returned to Burnaby. (In 1930, this area was set aside as parkland). This time the provincial government set aside the area as a conservation area due to the lobbying and much hard work of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society. The society's mandate was to maintain this area in public hands and promote the protection of the natural streams and forests.
I hope the City of Burnaby and the public act as stewards to protect the natural integrity of this special part of Burnaby, and thank you Mr. Alan James for keeping up the good work.
Tony Fabian, Burnaby
