Giving hope Great Nanaimo Toy Drive kicks off with call for donations. PAGE 7 Culture days Métis customs explored in annual elementary school event. PAGE 19 Art tour Cedar and Yellow Point artists open studios ahead of holiday season. PAGE 3
Bucs beat Kings PAGE 25
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012
VOL. 24, NO. 85
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Mountain bike trail planned for Westwood City partners with club to build lake route BY TOBY GORMAN THE NEWS BULLETIN
The Nanaimo Mountain Bike Club and City of Nanaimo have created a partnership that will see a dedicated mountain bike trail built around Westwood Lake. The project will give the club a much-needed protected trail on city property – many of the current trails mountain bikers use locally are on private land and are prone to logging or other land-use conflicts – and will also reduce the conflict between hikers, runners and mountain bikers at Westwood Lake. “We think we can work together on a trail in that area because there is a lot of land owned by the city there, so, yes, we’re interested,” said Jeff Ritchie, senior manager of parks for the city. Early stages of discussions suggest the trail will begin at the main parking lot at Westwood Lake, head northwest around the lake and eventually link up with the West Ridge and Binx trails, a distance of about six kilometres. A trail crew from the International Mountain Bike Association of Canada, an international organization dedicated to building world-class trails while helping shape land-use policy, will be in Nanaimo Dec. 6-8 to educate both city staff and club members on sustainable trail design and maintenance. Mason McGarrigle, trails director for the Nanaimo club, said having a trail protected by the city would be a first for riders in the Harbour City. Recently, sections of popular trails like the Abyss, Roller Coaster and Humility have been logged, and some of the Doumont trails are subject to biowaste spraying by Vancouver Island University.
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Mountain biking is an industry that is growing by leaps and bounds.
“Having an established park within the city parks means the trail will be protected which is good for mountain bikers in Nanaimo,” said McGarrigle. “There isn’t anything like that yet. We’re hoping that in the future we’ll be able to establish more trails, and once they see how well this is received they’ll be willing to work on a larger network of trails.” The mountain bike club envisions an area like Whistler’s Lost Lake bike park, where all levels of riders from beginner to advanced can enjoy a network of signed trails built to a high standard, and that the park can be used to complement other recreational opportunities at Westwood Lake. “There is a tourism aspect to it for sure,” said Ritchie. “Mountain biking is an industry that is growing by leaps and bounds.” During the IMBA workshop, the city and club will work together to build the first 200 metres of trail and will then meet again to determine the best approach to complete it. reporter2@nanaimobulletin.com
What do you think? Give us your comments by fax at 250-7530788, or e-mail editor@nanaimo bulletin.com. Be sure to spell out your first and last names.
CHRIS BUSH/THE NEWS BULLETIN
Painful recollections Adrian Hovestad places his hand on the head of Ryder McHady, 6, while recalling his boyhood during the German occupation of the Netherlands during the Second World War at a remembrance ceremony Fairview Community School students and staff participated in at the Cenotaph in downtown Nanaimo Friday. Hovestad called McHady to his side to illustrate his size at age six when German forces invaded. Poppy wreaths placed by students at the war memorial were taken to Royal Canadian Legion Branch 10 to be displayed on Remembrance Day. For more Remembrance Day photos, please see Thursday’s issue of the News Bulletin.