Grey County has found there is no quick fix for all terrain vehicles using trails in a county forest near Markdale.
At its meeting on March 14, county council received an update from staff about ongoing efforts to put an end to ATVs using trails in the Glenelg Klondyke forest near Markdale. Last year, the county received complaints from the local nordic skiing club about trails being damaged by ATVs. Motorized vehicles are not permitted in that forest.
Sarah Johnson, the county’s trails and forestry coordinator, updated council about the ongoing ATV situation in the forest. Last year, county staff undertook several steps to reduce the presence of ATVs in the forest. Measures included: increased signage, more education, gates, boulders, fencing, increased presence of Grey Sauble Conservation Authority staff at the forest and notifying West Grey Police when there is an issue.
Johnson said ATV use in the forest has decreased, but continues to be a problem.
“Despite these efforts, staff continue to receive complaints from non-motorized trail users about unauthorized motorized vehicle usage and damage in the forest,” Johnson said in her report.
Johnson said county staff have looked at a number of options to further mitigate the ATV issue, but none of the available possibilities would work.
Options included:
- Having West Grey amend its off-road vehicle bylaw to close two unopened road allowances near the forest to ATV usage. Johnson noted that this option wasn’t a good one, because an amendment to the bylaw would close the allowances to all ATV traffic - even those using the road allowances legally.
- Staff also considered the possibility of county bylaw enforcement to issue tickets to ATV riders using the forest. This option was not feasible as the county does have a bylaw enforcement department to enforce such a measure.
- Create formal ATV trails in the forest to keep the vehicles off all the cross-country skiing trails. Johnson said the county’s recreational master plan includes criteria to determine if new trail usage is compatible with the forest. She said ATV trails did not meet any of the criteria.
Johnson said county staff are recommending the continuation of the current measures to reduce ATV traffic in the forest. She said this includes: more signage, more education efforts and increased staff presence in the forest during peak periods.
County council unanimously supported the staff recommendation.
