Big Red Cats now working with the Snowmobilers

It occurred to me as I left that it was one of the most productive meetings I’ve ever witnessed. Kieren from Big Red Cats had invited locals to a public meeting to discuss his plans to apply for exclusive rights to sections of his snow-cat road network. Kieren’s safety concerns seemed legitimate, but the 20 or so local snowmobilers in attendance expressed concerns that they should have been consulted before such a plan was initiated, and that this plan could lead to them being unjustly excluded from their traditional terrain. The snowmobilers made their points forcefully but respectfully, and constructively suggested an alternative and potentially more effective way of dealing with the safety issues. Kieren listened, apologized for not involving the snowmobilers earlier, agreed to drop his exclusive tenure application, and to work with the local clubs to develop signage plan and user protocol which will address his safety issues. It’s inspiring to see and a credit to those involved that the issue seems to have been resolved, and conflict averted.

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