Outdoor activities and opportunities are something Albertans look forward to at all times of the year. By appointing official trail managers, Alberta’s government is working to ensure the sustainability of some of the province’s most popular trails while protecting the environment and landscape so Albertans can remain proud of our land and trails for years to come.
As the first two community organizations designated as trail managers under the Trails Act, the Alberta Off-Highway Vehicle Association and the Alberta Snowmobile Association will continue their work to maintain, repair and improve trails across the province, ensuring they are safe and accessible for Alberta families.
“As a lifelong outdoorsman, I know first-hand how important trails are for Alberta families. That’s why I’m pleased to recognize the Alberta Off-Highway Vehicle Association and the Alberta Snowmobile Association by designating them as official trail managers and supporting their ongoing work with sustainable funding. This will allow them to create additional recreation and tourism opportunities and larger projects over the coming years.”
Each organization received $1 million in 2022-23 in provincial funding and would receive another $1 million each over the next three years as part of Budget 2023, for a total of $8 million.
In their role as trail managers, the organizations are accountable for managing a number of provincially designated snowmobile and off-highway vehicle trails and coordinating the building and maintaining of trails with local clubs. Trails managed by the trail managers must align with the approved land-use plans for the area and ensure environmental commitments are met.
“This new framework and funding helps increase both the capacity and support for our clubs working to improve the quality of trails, and mitigating impacts of recreation. We are very pleased to be working in collaboration and partnership with our government to ensure sustainable recreation and having Alberta’s Provincial OHV trail system develop into the world-class recognition and destination.”
“Building a publicly accessible recreation system, connecting winter communities and driving winter tourism across rural Alberta are paths we are excited to travel down. We have had these plans in place for many years and are now able to start work on what will be the best snowmobile trails in Canada.”
The appointments align with the mandate letter commitment for trails, to ensure there are sufficient high-quality and low-cost recreation sites for Albertans.
Quick facts
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Trail agreements with these organizations are being developed so there is a clear understanding of the goals for the funding and environmental protections that must be respected.
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The first two trail agreements will be evaluated and used to develop similar agreements with other organizations across the province in the future.
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Under the Trails Act, new trails can only be approved through a planning process to identify and designate the trails to ensure that social, economic and environmental aspects are considered.