Snowmobilers clubs work very hard to promote respect for private property among trail riders. Even so, a few vandals are still causing damages and make us lose rights of passage.
Vandalism definition is the tendancy to destroy stupidly, to damage by ignorance or else, to destroy brutally and to invade without thinking about the consequences of the act.
Sadly, some vandals use their snowmobile to get around and they are the source of our difficulties to keep rights of passage for snowmobile trails.
For example, we can still see tracks of snowmobiles in plantations and tree farms. The following photo was taken a few days ago, on February 9, 2016.
Young pine plantation
Even if there are lots of signs and even if they are very clear, it takes only one marginal to destroy and then, to penalize the whole community of snowmobilers, to cut off tourism networks and this way, to impact the economy of a whole village and region.
In the plantation right by the sign Official expensive signage riddled with rifle bullets
A single wrongdoing on a private land by a brainless snowmobiler may have serious consequences not only for the community of snowmobilers, but also for the regional economy. That stupid action may cause not only the loss of right of passage, but it can also jeopardize the whole trail network, eliminate tourism economic impacts in villages, endanger relays, restaurants, lodging accomodations and all seasonal jobs involved. Since these infrastructures are not built on wheels, they cannot be moved and relocated by magic.
One exasperated owner and the right of passage is lost.
Also, after the loss of only one right of passage, dozens of volunteers of the snowmobile club must work very hard to find an alternative passage, to get the written authorizations and agreements from the land owners, then to have the ground cleared out so that grooming machines can circulate, sometimes to grade for rocks, stumps and other obstacles removal, to install new culverts in ditches, to build bridges that will bear the weight of grooming machines, to have expensive directional signs manufactured with new mileages on, to install warning icons indicating curves and other risks, in brief, tons of work to repair damages caused by an empty-headed person whose brain ended up in his thumb.
We would not see this type of damaged signs on trails if all snowmobilers would get involved and enforce our rights and the common sense that some disgusting persons are short of.
We should not see such announcements. It should be instinctive for each one of us.
We should think about it, it is so simple !
Excessive noise is also vandalism.
If you witness an act of vandalism, please do not hesitate to note the snowmobile licence plate number and to report it to the club involved and to police officers at ??4141 from your cell phone.
Damages do not only impact the property of an unknown person who cooperates with the snowmobile club, but they also jeopardize your sport of snowmobiling, the trail network, the supply services, the rescue services and all economic impacts. By making surveillance and by reporting vandalism, you keep your high quality network in operation. We must get personally involved if we want to keep rights of passage.
