After hearing McLean Creek was exempt from the #Kananaskis user fees, I hiked in to see the state of the area.

In short, it's a mess and shows why the entire thing is politically motivated.

A thread on all the destruction and the hyporcisty of it all.

1/6 #abpoli #AbLeg

In his presser, @JasonNixonAB stated that the fees address services, usage, and conservation.

All of those apply here. It's a free for all and suffers from heavy, destructive usage where rules aren't being followed.

Exhibit 1 - OHV users ripping up creek beds and wetlands 2/6

If anything, OHV users should be paying more than the rest of us for this activity. There is a huge need for repair and mitigation. McLean Creek is a silty mess. But instead, they're being rewarded.

Exhibit 2 - trail destruction leading to runoff of mud and silt everywhere 3/6

McLean Creek is also popular for random camping. As someone who does this, one of the key things is "leave no trace." That doesn't apply here.

There are abandoned campsites everywhere, some very close to water.

Exhibit 3 - garbage, spent shells, and firepits full of trash 4/6

It is sad that this beautiful spot has been abandoned to OHV users.

There is almost no signage and what was there is gone or destroyed.

It's clear this area badly needs exactly what the user fees are meant to address.

Exhibit 4 - damaged signs and more destruction 5/6

If @JasonNixonAB was serious about addressing usage and conservation this area would be first on the list.

Nowhere else in Kananaskis sees this level of destructive use without any attention or mitigation. It is being condoned and rewarded while the rest of us are punished 6/6

Since this is taking off a bit, please consider donating to @ABWilderness who have been advocating for better protection of our wild spaces and increased regulation of OHV use for decades. Their work is more important now than ever: https://albertawilderness.ca/product/donate/ 

I also want to add that anytime an OHV group says it's only a few bad apples, take it with a grain of salt.

Remember the Big Horn and Castle? They actively fought against further protections and now we sadly have a govt't that fully agrees with them. https://thenarwhal.ca/it-cant-be-a-free-for-all-anymore-the-battle-for-bighorn-country/

Finally, I don't just want to single out OHV users (prob too late). Every group has bad apples so don't be afraid to call people out.

See leash dogs in a sensitive areas?

See bikers where they shouldn't be?

See peoe feeding wildlife?

See people going off trail?

Call it out.

Minister Nixon's response is woefully inadequate and ignores the public interest.

Like with coal, it's clear people don't like the fee and are tired of OHV users getting preferential treatment to destroy our public lands #AbLeg
#abpoli https://twitter.com/JasonNixonAB/status/1387865131900563456?s=19