Baille Ard Recreation Association will be making a presentation to council in May.
There are two arguments to be made:
First, that the municipality should be open to accepting a lease from the NS Department of Community Services for the Baille Ard Nature Trails Lands with the continued stewardship of the Baille Ard Recreation Association.
Second, that the CBRM should support the volunteer stewardship efforts of the Baille Ard Recreation Association by extending the enforcement of the Dog Control bylaw to the Baille Ard Nature Trails.
We feel that the effect of the presentation will be greater if stakeholders and partners in the Baille Ard Nature Trails are part of it. I hope that someone from ACAP, the Southend Community Centre, CBVRSB, CBRM Trails and CB Island Hoppers can help emphasize that the trails have a value to our community that includes but goes well beyond a walking trail and that value should not be limited for the benefit of any one group of users.
Will you be part of the presentation?
David
Council is considering whether they should amend the new dog bylaw to exclude Baille Ard. There is support for this on council. I propose sending this letter to councilors. I have tried to be rational and take the high road but finished by saying that our group is not interested in a limited vision for the trails and in trying to manage an off lead dog park. Am I correct?
David
To Mayor Clarke and CBRM Councilors,
I am proud to have been part of a group that has dedicated so much time and effort over the last twenty-five years towards the development of a much visited trail system winding through a natural forested setting in the South End of Sydney. This option to spend time in a natural setting whether walking or jogging; alone or in company of family and friends; with or without a dog goes far to enhance the quality of our lives. This is a place within easy reach of many in our community where we can be active in all seasons and fill our lungs with the rich, clean air of an old growth forest.
Our group has nurtured many working relationships and benefitted from the support of all levels of government, NGO’s, businesses and service organizations. We have mapped the routes for trails and sought funding and groups to build them. We have raised funds and organized the building of bridges and the purchase and placement of signage and benches. We have done the hard physical labour to maintain the trails and improve them. We have welcomed and provided nature based experiences for many individuals, families and groups. We continue to develop and present many curriculum based activities for our CBVRSB students. We are about to embark on a particularly exciting project in partnership with ACAP, CBU and the schools of the CBVRSB,. We continue to work with the CBRM Recreation Department and CBRM trails organizations to enhance the trails experience in our community.
Baille Ard Recreation Association Mission
Our mission is the continued development, maintenance and promotion of the nature trails in the wooded Baille Ard area in the South End of Sydney. We will promote the trails as a venue for health and wellness through outdoor activity. Working with community partners and schools, we will seek to educate both children and adults regarding the Washbrook Watershed and to promote a sense of stewardship of nature.
In advance of your consideration of any amendment to the proposed new dog bylaw that might impact the Baille Ard Nature Trails, please factor in the following points:
.. CBRM is currently negotiating with the NS Department of Community Services for a lease on the Baille Ard Nature Trails lands that we believe is premised on our vision and mission.
..The Baille Ard Recreation Association has acted as the volunteer stewards of the Baille Ard Nature Trails for 20 years and worked for their creation for years before that.
.. A large number of partners and funders including the CBRM have contributed time, effort and money towards the vision of a community asset defined by its educational, recreational and wellness value to the community at large. **
.. Many volunteers have given countless hours and days towards the building, maintenance and promotion of the trails.
.. Our association has led the drive to have the Baille Ard Nature Trails accepted by our provincial government as a valuable and legitimate asset for our community.
.. It is the Baille Ard Recreation Association that accepts liability for the Baille Ard Nature Trails
.. Dogs and their responsible owners who keep their dogs on lead and clean up after their dogs have always been welcome on the Baille Ard Nature Trails.
.. an exclusion from enforcement would make the Baille Ard Nature Trails the de facto 'CBRM Off Lead Dog Park'. Many people have stopped using the Baille Ard Nature Trails because of off lead dogs. The identification of the trails as ‘off lead’ could only increase the number of off lead dogs and continue to exclude many from our community from the enjoyment of the trails.
..The Baille Ard Recreation Association would be left with responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of the trails along with the problem of dealing with not only current but any number of new off lead dogs. We would have no authority and in many cases little influence.
.. We are convinced that a growing group of off lead dog owners drawn to the Baille Ard Nature Trails would not be amenable to limiting their choice of time to use the trails and where they would go on the trails. Once again who would have authority to manage that situation and accept liability for issues that arise?
.. In this environment, the types of programs and community uses that we are providing and envisage for the trails as part of our mission would be severely limited due to our concern for participants and potential liability.
** Partners and Donors include: ACAP Cape Breton, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, Nova Scotia Health and Wellness, Sydney Credit Union, Steel City Credit Union, CBU, NSCC, Southend Community Centre, Canadian Government, Canadian Armed Forces, CBRM, Nova Scotia Community Services, Cape Breton Roadrunners, Cape Breton Island Hoppers, Cape Breton Fiddlers Run, CBRM Trails Group, Rotary Club of Sydney, CBVRSB, many private donors, Old Sydney Historical Society and others.
In conclusion, we have enjoyed a positive and very supportive relationship with CBRM. We sincerely hope that Council understands that the enforcement of the Dog Bylaw provisions on the Baille Ard Nature Trails is part of their commitment to support our volunteer efforts. The position in which an exemption from the bylaw would put our association would be unfair and untenable. Moreover, if bylaw enforcement is not provided, we feel we would no longer be in a position to accomplish our mission and we would have to reconsider our role. This would of course be with great regret.
Respectfully,
David Gabriel, for the Baille Ard Recreation Association
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