The Alberta TrailNet system is a hot issue for ranchers like Darcy Davis.
He lives near Acme, north of Calgary, where CP Rail donated sections of abandoned rail bed to Alberta TrailNet as part of a national trail network.
“Farmers and ranchers woke up one morning to find their land that had been bisected by a railroad was now bisected by a trail,” said Davis, who represented the Alberta Cattle Commission at trail planning meetings.
“This is a huge change in land use.”
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In his meetings with the TrailNet committee Davis has asked how adjacent landowners will be affected.
The cattle commission does not support the trail concept claiming it is an infringement on many property owners who do not want the public criss-crossing their land.
“Nature lovers seem to have more rights than the adjacent property owners,” said Marvin Molzan at a cattle commission meeting held Dec. 4.
Commission delegates raised concerns about fire, weed control and litter, as well as liability and responsibility if accidents occur on a trail on someone’s farm.
Alberta TrailNet is the official organization in charge of developing the Trans-Canada Trail in Alberta.
The concept of a recreational trail thatcrosses the country captures the imagination of recreationists but for landowners like Davis, it is an infringement.
The Trans-Canada Trail is expected to become the world’s longest recreation pathway. It will be more than 16,000 kilometres long, linking St. John’s to Victoria.
A second leg of the Trans-Canada Trail will run north from Calgary through the Yukon to the Arctic Ocean.
Most of the trail is intended primarily for bicycling and walking, but cross-country skiing, horseback riding and snowmobiling will also be permitted on certain sections.
In many areas, the trail will be made up of abandoned railway lines that have been resurfaced with fine gravel.
There are also river routes that have been declared part of the trail system, particularly through northern Canada.
