November Trail Report 2010

     Welcome all trail users to South Star's first internet information site. We hope this site will allow users to access needed information about the trails, ask questions, give feedback and share information to help maintain and improve South Star trails.

     South Stars is managed with a joint partnership between a volunteer board and the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts. We have regular meetings to discuss projects, Ministry requirements and to plan for trail clean ups. We have two scheduled trail clean ups a year and of course, emergency sessions, if necessary.

     So far, this year, the trails have been pretty clear. We will have a regular fall clean up before the snow flies to prepare for the ski season. We rely on our members to let us know if there are trees down or problem areas that need attention.

      We continue to see signs that motorized vehicles use the trails and we have increased signage and installed a metal post up by the power line preparatory to having a chain across that access point.

     We ask trail users to speak up if they meet vehicles on the trails and ask them to leave. I have had several experiences of this type  the motorists were ultimately quite cooperative. One merry band of ten motorcyclists during the summer claimed that Easy Street was an access road but it clearly IS NOT. I referred them to the map and suggested that they had mistaken Easy Street for the Joseph Creek Road (which is a motorized access road). I stressed that there are hundreds if not thousands of kilometers of motorized trails available all around South Stars and there was no reason at all for them to encroach on this small area. Finally, I told them it was just the facts that the Ministry is ultimately in charge of this terrain and that it is a provincially mandated non-motorized area. I am grateful to Helen and her niece on horseback who arrived in timely fashion to back me up and the motor-biker's turned around and left. Once ATV and snowmobile licensing is in place, it will be easier to report violators and hold people responsible for their actions. The shelter cabin up on the power line seems to be a meeting place for snowmobiles and ATV's - although it is in South Star territory, the board has decided to leave it as a neutral place for now, as long as there are no problems or member concerns.