Alberta designates 2 volunteer organizations as trail managers

The province is downloading responsibility of trail management onto volunteer groups.

The Alberta Off-Highway Vehicle Association and the Alberta Snowmobile Association have been designated as the first two community organizations to be official trail managers under the Trails Act, the government announced on Friday.

The organizations will be in charge of maintaining, improving, and repairing a number of snowmobile and off-highway vehicle trails across the province.

“We are confident the way they conduct their work on Alberta trails will serve as a great example for others to follow,” said Todd Loewen, minister for forestry, parks and tourism at a press conference on Friday.

Both volunteer organizations received $1 million in provincial funding in 2022-23, and would receive another $1 million each over the next three years as part of Budget 2023 for the work.

Trails managed by the trail managers must align with approved land-use plans for the area to ensure environmental commitments are met.

“Trail agreements are being developed so there is a clear understanding of the goals for the funding and environmental protections,” Loewen said.

The province says the appointment will ensure there are sufficient high-quality and low-cost recreation sites in the province.

The success of the first two trail agreements will be evaluated by the province, and used to develop similar agreements with other organizations in the future.