Quad/Court actions in the Rocky Clearwater Forest
With spring but moments away, it seems prudent to review some of the quad riders/court actions that have happened for the past while. This was high-lighted by an article in the April 2014 Alberta Outdoorsman magazine.
After watching the court news for the past year three things became apparent. Enforcement actions are being undertaken mostly by Federal Agencies [RCMP] or enforcement officers from the County of Clearwater #99. The Province of Alberta, the owner of the property and whose laws are being broken, does little. And lastly, the fines are ramping up with the largest fine now @ $1,000 + confiscation of a quad.
In one court case, the Judge J. D. Holmes called the creek/quad incidents an “epidemic problem in the West Country”. The fine has a maximum penalty for the offense of $25,000 for individuals and $100,000 for corporations.
While the court cases focused on Creek/quad incidents; dirty camps, impaired riding, unattended fires and using closed roadways also resulted in fines.
All of these infractions are from 2012>13 incidents with the information obtained from the Rocky Mountaineer newspaper.
Clearly, the information with regards to the does/don’t of land use in Alberta must be handled more proactively than is done presently. Both the Province and Quad organizations must step up to the plate. Enforcement does work but is limited are to resources available. Other methods of educating the land users must be found.
Below is a list of the court actions to date.
#1] June 22/13 – quad rider charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and was fined $1600 + prohibition of operating a motor vehicle for 12 months.
#2] July 7/13 – At Cutoff Creek, quad rider who left an open fire unattended while off for a ride was fined $500. This incident happened within a couple of months of the Nordegg Wildfire.
#3] Aug 4/13 A quad rider was fined $500 for leaving a mess at the South Fork of Prairie Creek. The messy camp area was reported by others using the area.
4] Aug 28/13 Three quad riders were charged and paid $700 each for riding on a closed trail near Nordegg.
5] Aug 3/13 – A woman was seen washing her quad by riding up and down the Clearwater River. This resulted in a $750 fine.
6] June 29/13 - A quad operator was observed riding his quad across Vetch Creek rather than using the bridge located nearby resulting in a $500 fine.
7] June 28/13 – a quad rider was caught in Vetch Creek. The quad was not registered or insured. He paid $115 for operating an unregistered vehicle, $230 for operating a uninsured vehicle and $200 fine for the creek ride for a total of $545.
8] July 1/13 – Five quad riders were each fined $500 for washing off their quads in the North Saskatchewan River below the Bighorn Dam.
9] May 20/13 – four quad riders were fined each $500 for quad washing incidents. The offences occurred near the bridge on the Clearwater River & on Prairie Creek. One individual was using a pressure washer.
10] Two men were each fine $500 for driving upstream in the Blackstone River Aug. 31/13.
11] A quad rider was fined $1,000 for riding in Swan Creek. The incidents occurred in 2012 and were posted to You Tube.
12] Another quad rider was fined $1,000 + had his quad confiscated as a result of posting to You Tube making his fine in total <.>$9,000.
13] June 29/13 = Two quad riders were observed riding on a closed road off Highway #752. This road is a secured by a locked gate and signs prohibiting motorized traffic. Their actions resulted in fines of $400 each. The judge pointed out the danger to yourselves and the log hauler. If an accident would have occurred, the quad insurance would not have been valid and the quad riders could end up facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit.
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