The Alberta Off-Highway Vehicle Association gathered at the Alberta Legislature Saturday to protest the government’s decision to ban off-highway vehicles (OHV) from two provincial parks.

On January 20, 2017, the provincial government announced OHVs would no longer be allowed in the boundaries of the Castle Wildland Provincial Park and the Castle Provincial Park.

“Our government committed to Albertans to strengthen protection of the Castle area, part of the ‘Crown of the Continent’,” Premier Rachel Notley said in the press release. “There is still a lot of work ahead, but the establishment of these new parks sets in motion our ability to implement the values of protection, conservation, recreation and tourism opportunities in this important region.”

The government deems OHVs as an ecological risk to the area and the more than 200 rare and at-risk species living in the southern Alberta parks.

“We don’t want people wrecking an environment we love,” rally organizer Garrett Schmidt said. “If we take our families to it, it’s because we love that environment. It’s not because we want to destroy it.”

An Outdoor Recreation Council of Alberta member agrees with the government’s decision.

“We’re not keeping OHV users out, we’re keeping OHVs out. They’re perfectly free to walk in there like most of us do,” David Wasserman said. “The main problem is not the OHV users who stick to trails, it’s the ones who are not members of OHV clubs who have no discipline and who go wherever they want.”

Off-roaders are allowed to use the trails for the remainder of 2017, until the new rules are finalized.

With files from Angela Jung