Students learn backcountry smarts in Golden

Golden is surrounded by backcountry terrain that isn’t as rugged as it may seem. Some sites popular with recreational users include rare and sensitive alpine, wetland and streamside habitats.

Annette Luttermann, an ecologist and Golden resident, spent last summer and fall leading a Wildsight Golden project to promote responsible recreation in the area’s backcountry.

“I visited Grade 8 and 9 classrooms in the town’s schools with the goal of increasing rider awareness of these sensitive areas and how to protect them,” Luttermann said. 
Luttermann discovered that 84 per cent of the students she surveyed take part in some form of outdoor motorized recreation in the Golden area. She shared photographs of sensitive sites and even found videos on YouTube that showed ATVs and dirt bikes racing through them.

“Just one pass can make a difference in the alpine,” Luttermann said. “It can take 50 years for vegetation to come back at high elevations.”

Luttermann worked on the project from June through December. In addition to visiting schools, she went to vulnerable areas known to be popular motorized recreation destinations and documented their current conditions. She enjoyed talking to ATV club members and taking a guided ATV trip with a local guide.

“As an ecologist, I have used ATVs in the field,” Luttermann said. “This was my first recreational trip on one.”

With thousands of new ATVs sold every year in British Columbia, it’s important that young riders learn how these machines can affect wildlife habitat, Luttermann said.

“The students were very receptive to learning about alpine creatures like pikas and how riparian areas are used as feeding and nesting sites by wildlife,” she said. “And they were interested to learn about unique plant species and the environmental effects on these areas.

“Most of the damage happens over time—so the more we understand about alpine and riparian areas, the greater chance we’ll be respectful of them every time we visit, whether on wheels or on foot.”

To Luttermann, an expert in cumulative impacts, the message is simple: “Stay on designated trails, stay away from wet areas and don’t drive in alpine areas at all.”

The Responsible Backcountry Recreation Project was initiated by Wildsight Golden and supported by Columbia Basin Trust.