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Charles Hodgson wrote a new blog post: Mountain Biker Laments Loss of Trails 6 hours, 16 minutes ago · View Dualsport Diary has posted a piece talking about mountain biking trails in the Ottawa area. Of Gatineau Park he says that it was “once the local riding mecca with many kilometers of epic technical singletrack the NCC has incrementally banned riding from almost every interesting area except the #1 fireroad.” He goes on to question the [...]
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Charles Hodgson wrote a new blog post: Bugs Starting 22 hours, 41 minutes ago · View Bugs out in the Park as reported by both Peter Dudley and vernvern.
Peter’s post includes floral pics from a hike. -
Charles Hodgson wrote a new blog post: Rock Climbers Urge Action 1 day, 1 hour ago · View As a follow-on to the Gatineau Park Climbers’ Coalition postcard initiative the Coalition website has for some days been sporting a new splash-page that encourages visitors to phone, email or write a letter to Gatineau Park Director Marie Boulet, NCC CEO Marie Lemay, and Transport Minister John Baird. Phone numbers, email addresses and postal addresses are included [...]
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Charles Hodgson wrote a new blog post: New and Improved GuideGatineau 1 day, 1 hour ago · View GuideGatineau has moved from Beta to Beta2 (whoopee!). Here’s what’s new: More participation – users can start their own discussion topics, plus include pictures and video. Log in with your Facebook credentials. Better navigability and search. A new look – half way to the “official launch” look. Hot and cold running Twitter & Flickr streams. https://guidegatineau.ca for people who love Gatineau [...]
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Charles Hodgson wrote a new blog post: Government Reintroduces NCC Bill 1 day, 8 hours ago · View In a press release on Friday John Baird and Lawrence Cannon announced the reintroduction of what had been Bill C-37. This legislation has been referred to as aimed at amending the laws which govern the management of Gatineau Park, but the Bill encompasses other parts of the NCC mandate as well. Included in the release [...]
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Charles Hodgson posted an update in the group Road Biking in Gatineau Park: 2 days, 4 hours ago · View I’m looking for a cycling historian who can talk to me about cycling in Gatineau Park through the ages (okay, not that many ages, but you get the picture).
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Charles Hodgson posted an update in the group GuideGat Development: 2 days, 4 hours ago · View I’ve rigged it so that you the user can post images and videos. Here’s how:
upload your pictures to Flickr or upload your videos to YouTube
Then just cut and paste the URL for the image or video into the ”activity” input box (it should work for blog post comments too).
here’s a sample – all I did was paste hxxp://www.flickr.com/photos/29538918@N05/4566530780/ below this line of text – replacing hxx with htt
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Charles Hodgson posted an update in the group GuideGat Development: 2 days, 8 hours ago · View As part of the move to the beta2 look I have deleted the forum feature of the website because it was too deeply buried for anyone to find it. Instead the ”activity” stream provides a way for people to give input. So that the info from the forums wasn’t lost I cross-posted it into the activity stream before deleting the forums.
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Charles Hodgson posted an update in the group Recreation Management Plan: 2 days, 8 hours ago · View Originally posted in the now deleted ”forum”
I post this for two reasons.
(a) Ian suggested that I do, and
(b) this represents an example of the public perception problem that the NCC has to overcome.
I leave it to the reader to decide if Ian’s view is right or if the NCC is trying but (in this case at least) not succeeding in demonstrating its good faith.
Ian writes:
Hi Charles,
Maybe you may want to post this. I made an access to information request asking for “ALL” the documents used in the preparation of the Recreation Services Plan (RSP). The access office told me they needed extra time (more than the 30 day time limit in the legislation) in order gather the info. & get agreements from 3rd parties (mostly contracts to run the RSP). I filed about Oct/Nov.2009, I reviewed the docs in Feb 2010.
I read thru a stack of paper that was close to 2 feet high. Tons of duplication. In summary there is NOT ONE, repeat NOT ONE study undertaken on how any activity impacts on any aspect of the Park. All studies/surveys are about user preferences, car traffic studies & extrapalations from this data.
The NCC is saying because we have an increase in car traffic, visitors to MacKenzie King estate and Lac Phillipe all areas of the park are being similiarly impacted.
This is not only bad research but just plain dishonest.
Dig up those first emails I sent you & see if you can still really feel that the NCC can be trusted to be fair & impartial vis a vis activities in the Park.
cheers ian
*************
So I did dig up the email he’d sent. Here it is, sent after the recreation consultation in the fall of 2009:
Ian wrote:
Hi Charles,
Thanks for doing this.
I just read the NCC “Recreational Services Plan”, vintage NCC. Reading that doc you would think that any non-human powered transportation is banned. Conservation this, sustainable that. Just a bit hypocritical.
If you haven’t been to one of these NCC events I’ll give you a heads up as to how I found the NCC biased the outcome. I went to the Gateway Sector plan workshops.
After all the ideas were presented the NCC cherry picked those that they wanted from the start & any others never saw the light of day. But as you were never consulted again this is hidden until they mail you the final document.
In each discussion group the NCC had a facilitator (staff member) to ensure the NCC required ideas were included.
As far as road cycling maybe you could ask them how they intend to deal with the increased car commuter traffic thru the park & how this resulted in the recent cycling/car issues.
The increased car traffic started after the Boulvard des Allumettieres was completed. There were on/off ramps built for the parkway From Tache Blvd to the Gamelin Park entrance. Several years ago no real issues but after the new road lots of problems.
Another question, in an environmental, echo friendly park why is so much emphasis put on cars? The last answer I heard was that the NCC had to ensure people could picnic.
Lastly you could ask why the 2-3 weeks of fall colours traffic mayhem set the tone for the entire non-winter period?
Anyway seeing how the NCC operates in person is a great learning experience.
I have grown tired of being lied to & ignored by the NCC so chose to not involve myself directly as my fuse is way too short for this type of crap.
Have fun
Ian
I did put in my input for the online survey. Same old same old, I don’t expect the NCC to change unless forced & they are such a low political priority that can’t happen.
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At that time I responded by saying:
Thanks Ian. I think lots of people are frustrated by the NCC. I also think they are bureaucracy-bound and that makes it difficult to do an “open and transparent” good job even if you want to (and I think many NCC people do want to.) So, for now, I’ll just act the impartial observer. -
Charles Hodgson posted an update in the group Back Country Trail Lovers: 2 days, 8 hours ago · View Originally posted in the now deleted ”forum”
bcguru said: Great news for the back country trails – au naturel. Let those skis slide in that winding trail. Easy on the groomers…low snow – not much for the boys to work with. Don’t forget. your ticket includes: plowing, huts, firewood, trail maintenace ( much harder in the bc ) Emergency Rescue ( much harder in the bc ) and sweet groomers to access it all.
Perhaps an on-going Open Discussion with all participants alike…ie; please my friend, snow shoe trails are snow shoe trails and ski trails are ski trails. The park is opening many new great snowshoe trails! An explanation of the footprint damage and the potential of injury to the legs and ankles from the pot-holes may help. Most new snowshoeists who are jazzercizing their way up a trail, i find, are usually oblivious to the damage and dangers they create for skiers.
A phone is what the NCC recomends as saftey supplies, sure, but how about warm cloths, food and an officail map in a small gear bag. The NCC is also insufficiently staffed for difficult bc extractions. Be prepared on your own, it can get cold out there.
bcguru also said: Another way to look at the payment structure for BC skiers: As payment is by donation, and snowshoers do not pay for access to the park…place into the donation box the percent value of the time you spent on groomed vs non groomed trails.