The Smithers Mountain Bike Association (SMBA) is building a new mountain bike trail across the area known as the prairie on Hudson Bay Mountain.
This trail, which has been under discussion for six years, has four kilometres built so far, with the hope of getting six kilometres completed by the end of the year.
Eventually, SMBA hopes to extend the trail to Crater Lake if they can get approval from Recreation Sites and Trails B.C. (RSTBC). For the time being, they are focussing on the area within the perimeter of the Hudson Bay Mountain Resort.
"If all goes according to plan, we will get approval during the winter and we will be able to build to Crater Lake next season," said Seth Van Varseveld, a director at large for SMBA.
The current trail will remain the same for hikers.
However, some members of the community are opposed to the construction due to the potential displacement of wildlife and damage to the rare ecosystem of the prairie.
“I am raising concerns for the environmental damage occurring,” said Len Vanderstar, an environmentalist and former provincial government conservation lands biologist.
Marmots, birds and rare aquatic lichen, which live along these trails could potentially lose their habitat, he said.
“Marmots have already been impacted by the high recreational use of the hiking trail, so having another trail developed will only exacerbate the problem,” he said.
“It could take 100 years for natural site restoration, so this would take a long time to naturally restore as well.”
Vanderstar said he would participate in a blockade if SMBA gets approval for the Crater Lake area.
However, Van Varseveld says SMBA has been working with trail builders and biologists who have been watching for bird nests so they won't be displaced.
"They walked this route many times before building a section each day and our trail contractors are being careful. For marmots, we are realigning one section of the trail to stay further away from [their homes]," Van Varseveld said.
The association has also already made modifications to ensure mountain goats are not disturbed, he said.
Jim Easterday, the director of British Columbia’s Mountain Goat Society, said SMBA has been accepted the society’s recommendations by altering the trail's route so mountain goat habitats will be protected.
“We recommended a change to the route of the bike path near Little Simpson Creek headwaters to increase the distance from the bike path by an additional 350 metres,” wrote Easterday in an email response.
“SMBA realigned the proposed route to avoid displacing several herds of mountain goats."
Vanderstar says there is still more that needs to be done.
“We are seeing development on a fragile alpine ecosystem, [and] we already have an existing trail for hikers that needs some improvement for mitigation and restoration,” Vanderstar said.
“We don’t want to make the prairie another Whistler up here,” he added.
