Dear Mr. Sametz-Asgari,

Members of off-road motorized sports groups including ATVBC and the 4WDABC were concerned to see mention in a recent article in the Chilliwack Progress on July 28th, 2022 titled “DFO shuts down vehicle access to Gill Bar in Chilliwack” that stated the coordination was unsuccessful with our groups, which in part lead to the decision to implement the temporary closure.

ATVBC was not consulted or asked to coordinate in this project in any manner. The Four-Wheel Drive Association of BC (4WDABC) apparently met and consulted with DFO briefly in February 2021 regarding signage at Gill but have had no communications since. The 4WDABC has released an educational video about salmon habitat at Gill and held joint educational events with Watershed Watch Salmon Society at Gill bar in the fall of 2021. More events were planned for the summer of 2022.

As per ATVBC’s mandate we support safe and responsible off-road recreation through education and awareness for all user groups. While we were not consulted in this latest decision to temporarily close the Gill Road area, ATVBC requests that we be included at the table for future conversations. This would allow our members to provide feedback and allow for truly inclusive consultation to take place.

In the article, of July 28, 2022, it stated this was a “temporary measure until the long-term management planning process, currently underway, concludes”. Again, we would like to reiterate that both ATVBC and 4WDABC be included in the process to allow for proper
consultation to take place.

We look forward to continuing to support safe and responsible recreation through education and awareness.

Sincerely,

Chris D’Silva, President ATVBC [email protected]

Kim Reeves, President 4WDABC [email protected]