Dear Editor:
After the latest comments about the Barbour area trail proposal, I have to respond. As a Toby Bench resident, professional trail builder, avid mountain biker and horseback rider, I am excited about the proposal and have talked to other residents who are as well.
I am upset another resident feels my profession and recreation of choice is to rip up the Crown land when the exact opposite is true. We choose terrain that will have the least impact, but will provide the best experience. The proof is in the already authorized trails in the area. They require very little maintenance and are enjoyed by many different user groups.
This is not a debate about environmental and wildlife impact, but an ideology about the uses of Crown land. Recreational trail development has had a positive economic and healthy impact. Is this not what we need for our Valley?
Darcy Lehr
Invermere
