Today is a day to celebrate for Eagle Mountain trails! (Updated on May 31, 2021)
In 2013 TORCA started the process of protecting and legitimizing the trails on Eagle. We have been through a lot of ups and downs, hours of meetings, stacks of paperwork and emails, and a lot of relationship building to prove ourselves to RSTBC and other stakeholders.
It is now OFFICIAL! TORCA has been given Section 56 and Section 57 approvals for all the mountain bike trails on Eagle Mountain, including trails previously not recognized in the network.
1) You will see improvements on all the trails on Eagle Mountain.
2) Our builders will be able to work with TORCA to submit proposals for TTFs on some of our favourite historic Eagle trails like Massage Therapy, More Therapy, Woodburner, Four Lost Souls & The Dentist!
We also have a proposal in process for a brand new trail, which is acquiring an Archaeology Assessment and is under consultation with local First Nations.
So, enjoy Eagle and know that TORCA and our local builders are working hard to protect and enhance this trail network for the future.
What do these Section 56 and 57 agreements mean for us? The benefit of this process is two fold. Firstly, the trails in the Section 56 are now in the Provincial registry of trails and identified as “established” which gives them protection for the future. Secondly, this process has shown RSTBC that TORCA is a responsible association that is able to work with other stakeholders on the mountain. Because of this cooperation with RSTBC and the other user groups on the mountain, RSTBC is applying on behalf of TORCA and Eagle Mountain Moto (who also obtained a S56 for their trails) to provide us with a Section 56 Polygon. This would give our groups stewardship of all of Eagle Mountain, not just selected trails. With a S56 Polygon in place, we are then in a position to expand the trail network on the mountain.
Phase 1 of the expansion is already in the works! We are planning for a new staging area, a new climbing trail and a new machine built, blue level descending trail. These new trails would tie into the existing trail system. Other phases would look at expanding the trail network elsewhere on the mountain.