Four Wheel Drive Association of BC - Blogs http://www.4wdabc.ca/blog.php Four Wheel Drive Association of BC en Fri, 18 May 2012 06:19:37 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.4wdabc.ca/images/misc/rss.jpg Four Wheel Drive Association of BC - Blogs http://www.4wdabc.ca/blog.php <![CDATA[BC Boat & Sportsmen's Show / BC Hunting Show 2012]]> http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?47-BC-Boat-amp-Sportsmen-s-Show-BC-Hunting-Show-2012 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 02:52:13 GMT The show is now over and the numbers are in and this was the Associations most successful show ever and we have YOU to thank for that. Thank you... The show is now over and the numbers are in and this was the Associations most successful show ever and we have YOU to thank for that.

Thank you for spending some of your hard earned money on us and our cause!

I will be sending our membership an email after our AGM, which is March 17th, 2012 and is held at ABC Restaurant on Schoolhouse Dr in Coquitlam at 10 am - 1 pm. This email will contain a list of events that are planned for the next six months and where they will be held.

Some of these events inlcude 2 major cleanups of Stave Lake, West Stave on June 2, East Stave on April 21st and a 4x4 Show 'n Shine hosted in conjunction with Cruiser Days is on July 28, 2012 at Mission Heritage park. We've got plans for some fun stuff too, like maybe a couple of camping weekends and feasts at the Hale Creek Shelter.

I know this is all Lower Mainland stuff but we'll also try harder at getting out to the Regions of BC. We will also try to help willing volunteers with a set list of activities that can be accomplished with our support.

April will also bring the next edition of the Backroader. Personally, I can't wait to see it!

Welcome to the Four Wheel Drive Association of BC. I look forward to seeing you out on the trail.

Thank you,

Kim Reeves. ]]> kim http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?47-BC-Boat-amp-Sportsmen-s-Show-BC-Hunting-Show-2012 Tunkwa - Duffy ORV Management Project http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?45-Tunkwa-Duffy-ORV-Management-Project Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:45:56 GMT At the Sportsman Show this weekend, I had an interesting discussion with the Recreation Officer for the Kamloops region and was made aware of this... At the Sportsman Show this weekend, I had an interesting discussion with the Recreation Officer for the Kamloops region and was made aware of this project.

More information can be found here;

http://www.fpb.gov.bc.ca/IRC165_Off_...t_District.pdf

An interesting exerpt from the above link;

"MTCA considers it pointless to exclude ORV use in specific areas without also providing areas
where such vehicles can be used. To that end, MTCA is taking a cooperative approach with
local clubs and organizations to designate specific areas for ORV use near Kamloops, including
Lac du Bois and Duffy Lake. The Duffy Lake project is a partnership with a local motorcycle

association. In the Noble Creek area, MTCA has been working with MFR,
MOE’s Conservation
Officer Service (COS) and a local rancher to map existing trails. The Sonora Road area is not
currently part of a planning process.

On a broader scale, MTCA noted that a district-wide plan is also needed to address recreation
trail issues. Such a plan would accurately map and communicate to the public the location of
established trail networks, and identify existing trails that need to be closed and rehabilitated in
sensitive areas. A district-wide plan could also lead to designation of other areas for ORV use.
However, as yet, no funding or framework is in place to develop a district-wide plan. In the
interim, MTCA intends to address ORV issues on a case by case basis."

From my discussion, I was informed that there are no wheelers involved in this discussion. If anyone has any information or concerns, please let it be known here;



]]> kim http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?45-Tunkwa-Duffy-ORV-Management-Project Membership Renewals for 2011 http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?44-Membership-Renewals-for-2011 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:06:50 GMT Memberships expire on December 31st of each year. For new members that join towards the end of the year (near the end of October and on), we've been adding you to the following year. However, a topic at the AGM will be a proposal to go to a anniversary expiry rather than an annual one. Another topic will be to do away with having to issue new cards each year and perhaps issue one that reads "Member Since MMM DD, YYYY" as the cards today are more of a keep sake as they are not used for anything (not yet at least). If anyone has any opinions or feedback on AGM topics, please feel free to post in this thread:

In the next few days we'll be sending out a membership renewal letter that contains instructions about how to renew along with a year in review summary of what we've accomplished last year and what the goals are for the upcoming year. Some of you already know that we'll also be including a copy of the new Backroader magazine. Our plan for the magazine is to produce 2 issues a year (Winter/Summer) and to make sure that all current members receive those as part of their membership package. In order to accomplish that particular goal, we'll need to get the distribution channels opening up so that we can attract sponsors and advertisers which will segue into obtaining event insurance and then planning for and hosting those type of activities.

A link to the letter that will be mailed is here: 20110131.MembershipRenewalLetter.pdf

PS: If you recently joined as a member, you have not been forgotten about and your membership package is being prepared. We have simply been waiting on the Backroader magazine to be printed so that it can be included and aid in cutting our mailing expenses. Thanks for your continued support! ]]> yabedude http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?44-Membership-Renewals-for-2011 Event Insurance http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?42-Event-Insurance Sat, 29 Jan 2011 00:52:41 GMT This year, it is the intention of the 4WDABC to purchase event insurance.

The reason for this is, if we don't, we cannot survive. No one will volunteer to do anything if there is a potential for liability on an individuals part. The 4WDABC cannot exist without protecting it's volunteers. To continue doing events without insurance potentially leaves us all 'one accident away' from financial ruin and the end of this association.

From talking with folks who founded the 4WDABC back in the 70's, I learned that it was an accident involving a small child at an event that ended the role of this association being primarily a racing body.

Events that we have been tossing around include a Clean Up on Saturday, April 23rd, for Sylvester Road and the East Stave fsr area, a weekend rec site build and trail maintenance and a show and shine. There is another thread for this but just tossing it out there.

We're also considering an insurance policy that our member clubs can use if they purchase that option with their membership. We're thinking low cost, like $200.

For those interested, this will be a topic at the AGM. Discussion is welcome on this topic in our forum located here;

http://www.4wdabc.ca/showthread.php?...&p=344#post344 ]]> kim http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?42-Event-Insurance Notice of Annual General Meeting (2011) http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?41-Notice-of-Annual-General-Meeting-(2011) Sat, 22 Jan 2011 22:05:23 GMT The Four Wheel Drive Association of BC has scheduled the 2011 Annual General Meeting as follows: Date: *Saturday, March 19th, 2011* Time: *9:00 AM*... The Four Wheel Drive Association of BC has scheduled the 2011 Annual General Meeting as follows:
Date: Saturday, March 19th, 2011
Time: 9:00 AM
Location: ABC Country Restaurant
Address: 300-100 Schoolhouse St., Coquitlam, BC V3K 6V9
Tel: (604) 526-2272
Come join us for breakfast (at 9am) and participate in the meeting which should start around 10am.
We plan on completing the meeting around 1pm and heading up Eagle Mountain for an afternoon/evening wheeling trip.

This year we will also have some door prizes and we hope to have a good turnout.

The AGM agenda is here;
http://www.4wdabc.ca/showthread.php?...&p=436#post436

Here’s a link to the restaurant’s web site: http://www.abccountry.ca
And another link to Google maps: Google map ]]> yabedude http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?41-Notice-of-Annual-General-Meeting-(2011) 4WDABC Four-Wheeling Spending Survey (2010) http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?40-4WDABC-Four-Wheeling-Spending-Survey-(2010) Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:25:00 GMT About a year ago, during one of our Board of Directors meetings, we discussed what we could bring to the table when meeting Government officials that... About a year ago, during one of our Board of Directors meetings, we discussed what we could bring to the table when meeting Government officials that will better educate them on why it's important to not shut down the trails in our Province. We all agreed that money talks and that if we had "numbers" that would better document what we are all spending in regards to our wheelin' sport/hobby, that maybe it would get some attention. With a good sampling from trail users in the Province, maybe ... just maybe ... we can help slow down and even stop some gates from being erected on our trails. That we can have an effect that will stop plans to have well established forestry roads and trails from being deactivated and returned to their original and natural state.

In the end, we prepared an online survey (see below) and we ask all wheelers to please take a bit of time and complete the questions as best that you can. Please don't exaggerate the responses, but do include costs for items that match the suggestions that we describe in each question.

Thanks for you time and we'll keep everyone posted as to what becomes of this information.

Board of Directors,
Four Wheel Drive Association of BC

PS: If you have any comments, fell free to leave them at the bottom of this page ... scroll waaaayyyyy down. OR join our forum and participate in a discussion thread: http://www.4wdabc.ca/showthread.php?...10)-Discussion

]]> yabedude http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?40-4WDABC-Four-Wheeling-Spending-Survey-(2010) Hemlock Resort Expansion proposal http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?39-Hemlock-Resort-Expansion-proposal Fri, 12 Nov 2010 15:32:45 GMT Public consultation times are included. Public consultation times are included.
Attached Thumbnails
Attached Files
]]> kim http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?39-Hemlock-Resort-Expansion-proposal Campfire Ban Lifted on September 1, 2010 http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?38-Campfire-Ban-Lifted-on-September-1-2010 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:45:04 GMT The Province announced today that it is lifting the Provincial wide campfire ban, however please check with your local communities as some have... The Province announced today that it is lifting the Provincial wide campfire ban, however please check with your local communities as some have bylaws in place that still restrict camp fires. Chilliwack is an example of a municipality that has such a bylaw. ]]> yabedude http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?38-Campfire-Ban-Lifted-on-September-1-2010 On July 29th, Campfires will be banned virtually province wide http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?37-On-July-29th-Campfires-will-be-banned-virtually-province-wide Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:44:44 GMT Updated campfire info. Fire Bans and Area Restrictions - Wildfire Management Branch - Ministry of Forests and Range - Province of British... Updated campfire info.

Fire Bans and Area Restrictions - Wildfire Management Branch - Ministry of Forests and Range - Province of British Columbia

The only area that is exempt from this ban is the south east corner of BC. ]]> kim http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?37-On-July-29th-Campfires-will-be-banned-virtually-province-wide <![CDATA[President's News Letter - July 23, 2010]]> http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?36-President-s-News-Letter-July-23-2010 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:31:11 GMT Dear Members and Supporters: Looking back to the 2010 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and the couple of months preceding it, I must say that the... Dear Members and Supporters:

Looking back to the 2010 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and the couple of months preceding it, I must say that the Association has come a long way in a short time.

At the beginning of this year, membership was very low and animosity toward the association seemed high. Most of the Board Of Directors (BOD) and previous BOD agreed that the primary reason for this was a failure to communicate to our membership with any consistency. After the AGM, the BOD was committed to addressing this communication problem. One area that we thought would help with this problem was the creation of a new website which would have forums for open, direct and transparent dialogue. All forest service road information and news from governments and private companies that impact our interests will also be posted in the relevant forum so that information is disseminated as quickly and widely as possible. This website was launched several days ago and, while it is a work in progress, is accessible at http://www.4wdabc.ca.

Another task that has been accomplished is a complete overhaul of our membership system. We have cut the time of mailing out new memberships down to less than a week upon receipt of payment and even to less than one day at times.

A huge success came in April with a key access agreement and program run by the City of Coquitlam. This success was achieved by many 4 wheelers coming together and making it known to the City of Coquitlam how much this area was cared about and how important it was to our community. The 4WDABC played an important part in this success and we intend to propose this as a template in future discussions with other districts and regions where we have lost or are losing access. We would like to express our thanks to Melony Burton who is the driving force for this program within the City.

Also in April, we were somewhat blindsided by a TV news article on Earth Day, highlighting the garbage dumping in the East Stave Lake area. Our VP, Chris Grant managed to contact the reporter and arrange for Steve Dillen, Director of Land Use, to highlight the 4 wheel drive community’s efforts to mitigate this type of damage by sharing information about our annual Stave Lake Cleanup event. This aired on Global the very next evening, April 23rd. Our feelings are that this was a success as it raised a fair amount of awareness about the 4WDABC and the responsibility of 4 wheelers in general.

We held a BOD meeting in April where it was resolved that the 4WDABC is bound to represent all 4 wheelers and lobby for designated areas for all types of 4 wheeling, including mud bogging and rock crawling. Our code of ethics, tread lightly and wheelin' wisely all come into play here as well. This is an area that we consider a 'work in progress' and welcome any and all input on this.

In late April, we were excited to have a new volunteer join us and represent us as a Land Use representative in the Peace Region. Deny Chramosta brings many years of 4 wheeling experience and is an excellent addition to our association as it tries to better represent all regions of this huge province. Deny is a member of the Peace Canyon Toyota Swamp Donkeys, a club that also joined our Association. We welcome Deny and the Swamp Donkeys to the Association.

Also in late April, a group of wheelers on BC4x4.com came together to do a vehicle recovery of a Bronco II which had rolled in the West Harrison area. This group also delivered the Bronco to the owner’s driveway in Chilliwack. My son and I arrived too late to assist but we were impressed by the number of people who will assist others they do not know and to such a degree. The Association would like to thank all those involved in coming to the rescue of these people!

The month of May was consumed with Stave Lake Cleanup details and scouting for the event to be held on June 5th. At the end of the month, we were contacted to assist with a fellow who got hung up on a stump in the Eagle Mountain area. As it turned out, we were able to assist and these people were on their way.

We have been in contact with an informal club in the Okanogan area called the Urban Rednecks who are lobbying for designated areas for mud bogging and rock crawling. The 4WDABC have urged them to register their society and have expressed support for this endeavor.

June 5th saw the arrival of the Stave Lake Cleanup Event. WOW! What a huge success! There were 91 volunteers, 48 trucks, 9 trailers, 3 dump trucks, 1 backhoe and all that effort resulted in 22,500 Kilograms (22 tons) of garbage being picked up and delivered to the Mission transfer station. There was also 2,000 kilos of steel recycled. This was an incredible success and our sincere thanks go to all the volunteers and the two organizers, Carolann Van De Ligt and Chris Grant, VP, 4WDABC.

The 4WDABC arranged a time to provide Melony Burton, City of Coquitlam, a tour of the Eagle Mountain trail system from a wheelers perspective with the final stop at Eagle Ridge overlooking a 180⁰ view of Surrey to the south around to Mount Seymour to the north. It was a gorgeous evening, one of the few at that time of year, and we shared some incredible views and some fun on the trail. There was even a bald eagle circling overhead which gave credit to the name of the area.

Once the Stave event was completed, we refocused on launching our website, which unofficially was launched on July 13th. While the bulk of the organizational detail is in place for the website, we will be tweaking the 'look and feel' as we go along. Our huge thanks go to Corey Jong who volunteered to set up the website and then began the process of customizing it to suit our needs. We couldn’t have done it without volunteers like Corey.

Another event of significance is the recruitment of a new member and Land Use Representative for the Kootenay/Boundary region. The Association welcomes Daniel Zarchikoff to our growing list of volunteers. Daniel was born and raised as a Kootenay resident who is well versed in the backcountry areas of his region as well as being versed in the access issues involved.

Our individual membership numbers have just hit 100 and we now have 8 member clubs.

As of today, this is a brief synopsis of what we have been doing for the last three and a half months. Now, where are we going?

It has become extremely clear that the membership and prospective members all want some fun re-inserted in our Association. The BOD has spent a fair amount of time considering suggested ideas and events in order to accomplish this. It was determined that a couple of things had to be put in place prior to having these events. The first was event insurance. We are currently investigating the cost and terms of such insurance. Second is that we need a waiver of liability for any trail events that we host or are hosted on our behalf by member clubs. This is being looked at as well.

Once these insurance and liability issues have been addressed, events will be organized and scheduled. We welcome any and all input from our members as well as prospective members to assist us. We can always use volunteers. As a start to this dialogue, there is a recent discussion about a BBQ event being proposed on our website. If you have sme time, please come and signup and feel free to take up some discussions on any topic, or start a new one. The BBQ topic can be found here:
http://www.4wdabc.ca/showthread.php?...&p=113#post113

As most will confirm, the Backroader magazine was very popular and we haven't managed to publish an issue in the last 3 years. We want to change this. We welcome write ups about trail runs, stories, customizations, history of our Association, issues affecting your area, whatever you have that would make interesting reading is welcome. Please submit you’re your articles to the 4WDABC. If we receive enough content, we WILL publish the Backroader magazine. Email articles to: backroader@4wdabc.ca

As I read over this news letter, I realize that a lot has been happening since the AGM, too much really for one update to be sent to the membership. In the future, I will send these updates out monthly.

In closing, I would like to request any and all comments and suggestions from our membership to be either emailed to us or posted on our website. We value your input in helping us improve our Association to better represent you.

Happy trails,
FOUR WHEEL DRIVE ASSOCIATION OF BC

Kim Reeves
President ]]> yabedude http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?36-President-s-News-Letter-July-23-2010 On July 23rd, Campfires Will Be Prohibited Across The Coastal Fire Centre http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?35-On-July-23rd-Campfires-Will-Be-Prohibited-Across-The-Coastal-Fire-Centre Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:18:03 GMT Read the full article: CAMPFIRES PROHIBITED ACROSS THE COASTAL FIRE CENTRE (http://bcwildfire.ca/hprScripts/WildfireNews/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=1705) Read the full article: CAMPFIRES PROHIBITED ACROSS THE COASTAL FIRE CENTRE ]]> yabedude http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?35-On-July-23rd-Campfires-Will-Be-Prohibited-Across-The-Coastal-Fire-Centre Camp Fire Size Bans In Effect July 1, 2010 http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?34-Camp-Fire-Size-Bans-In-Effect-July-1-2010 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 03:55:00 GMT This has been reported on a few web sites already, but in case you haven’t heard … People will be sitting around smaller campfires in B.C. this... This has been reported on a few web sites already, but in case you haven’t heard …

People will be sitting around smaller campfires in B.C. this summer under new rules taking effect on Canada Day.

The government is shrinking the size of fires from one metre across to about a half metre as of July 1 to try to reduce the risk of wildfires caused by careless people, Forests Minister Pat Bell said Thursday (June 24).

Since April 1, fire crews have responded to 310 fires across the province, of which 260 were human-caused, Bell said. “As we head into peak camping season, I want to remind people that more than 850 fires resulted from careless human behaviour in 2009. That number must come down,” said Bell.

The new rules also require campers to build a fireguard around their fires by scraping down to the dirt and clearing away potentially flammable debris, such as twigs, leaves and needles.

A shovel or at least eight litres of water must be stored nearby to extinguish the fire. Failure to comply with the new rules will result in a $345 fine. An additional $345 fine will be levied for campfires lit during a ban.

No ban on small campfires is currently in effect, but a fire ban does begin Friday in the northwest portion of the province on any fire larger than a half metre.

Article taken from: www.cbc.ca.

The complete regulations can be read from the BC Forest Fire Information site: www.bcforestfireinfo.gov.bc.ca.

FOLLOW UP …

June 24, 2010 was the announcement and the PDF regulation change (see link in first post) reflects that date.

If clarification on the rules are required, the contact info is also in the PDF:

Contact:
Kim Steinbart
Provincial Fire Information Officer
Provincial Wildfire Coordination Centre
Wildfire Management Branch
250 312-3051 (office)

We called them … The new law simply changes the definition of a campfire from 1 meter to .5 meter and that re-definition comes into effect July 1st. This new law is applicable when a ban in a given area is in effect. Today, in the East Kootneys for example, you can still have a bonfire - larger than 1 meter in diameter. Maybe come July 1st, you can still have that size of a fire because there isn’t a campfire restriction (aka limited ban) in that area. However, as most of you know, there are fire bans implemented throughout the summer and the bans can differ from area to area. One ban is no fires at all and then you can’t light a match or your arse if grass. Another ban is to limit fires to a “campfire” where, come July 1st, the definition is no longer 1 meter but will be 0.5 meters in diameter.

The last sentence in their announcement was totally confusing. It simply means that last Friday, a fire ban began in the northwest portion of the province on any fire larger than a half metre. They couldn’t say that it’s limited to a campfire because today a campfire is still 1 meter, so they said specifically that it’s limited to a 1/2 meter in diameter in that area. Remember, come July 1st, a campfire will be redefined as 0.5 meters in diameter (or less). Anything larger is subject to a fine BUT only when the ban is in effect.

So, the bottom line is to check www.bcforestfireinfo.gov.bc.ca Current Conditions and Bans for daily updates on what bans are in effect for a given area in BC.

More explanation … check www.bcforestfireinfo.gov.bc.ca Fire Restrictions and Area Bans … Notice how it contains ‘Open Fires’ and ‘Campfires’. Thats where the regulation comes into play. So in East Kootney, you can have an Open Fire but not anywhere else. Everywhere else your limited to a Campfire and in 3 days that Campfire has to be no larger than 0.5 meter in diameter. ]]> Admin http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?34-Camp-Fire-Size-Bans-In-Effect-July-1-2010 West Harrison FSR closure - More Details http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?33-West-Harrison-FSR-closure-More-Details Sun, 20 Jun 2010 03:52:00 GMT We received additional details from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts … **** NEW: Please be advised the West Harrison FSR will be... We received additional details from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts …


*** NEW: Please be advised the West Harrison FSR will be closed at Grace Lake recreation site between June 24th until June 29th 2010 due to bridge installations at 7 Km and 10.1 Km, therefore the campsites north of Grace Lake will be inaccessible by road during this time. Please contact the Recreation Host for other possible arrangements. Wood Lake and 20 Mile Bay recreation sites will be open for the July 1st long weekend. We apologize for any inconvenience this may impose. ****


Chris Grant
Vice President, 4WDABC ]]> Admin http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?33-West-Harrison-FSR-closure-More-Details West Harrison FSR is scheduled to be closed http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?32-West-Harrison-FSR-is-scheduled-to-be-closed Fri, 18 Jun 2010 03:50:00 GMT We received notice from Mike Peters, Recreation Officer, Chilliwack Forest District. The two (2) bridges at 7km and 10km on the West Harrison... We received notice from Mike Peters, Recreation Officer, Chilliwack Forest District.

The two (2) bridges at 7km and 10km on the West Harrison Forest Service Road (FSR) are scheduled to be replaced and will require the FSR be closed during the replacement.

The closure would take place on the Tuesday or Thursday, June 22nd or 24th (next week). The closure will last for 5 days and can extend over the weekend of June 26th and 27th . MOFR has made arrangements for the two bridges to be replaced at one time saving an additional 5 days worth of closed time as the original plan was to do one bridge at a time. The original plan was also to do the work in July but it now has to be done next week. Next week is the only time the crews can build both bridges together. All camp sites/recreation sites will be closed after this coming weekend — on Monday night — and everyone will be asked to vacate the areas, including camp hosts.

If you have made plans to go camping at Hale Creek, Sunrise Lake, Lookout Lake, or up the Weaver/Francis areas, please take note that you will not have any ability to enter or leave those areas for many days while the bridge replacements are occurring.

Chris Grant
Vice President, 4WDABC ]]> Admin http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?32-West-Harrison-FSR-is-scheduled-to-be-closed 8th Annual Stave Lake Cleanup Event - Results http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?43-8th-Annual-Stave-Lake-Cleanup-Event-Results Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:09:00 GMT On Saturday, June 5th, 2010, the Four Wheel Drive Association of BC hosted our 8th Annual West Stave Lake Cleanup event. This event was our most... On Saturday, June 5th, 2010, the Four Wheel Drive Association of BC hosted our 8th Annual West Stave Lake Cleanup event.

This event was our most successful ever with 91 volunteers who ultimately collected 22,260 kilograms of garbage and over 1,815 kilograms of steel.

We would like to not only thank the many wheelers and individuals that stopped by to lend a hand for the day but we extend a huge thank you to the following businesses and individuals for the continued support:

Brighten Beach Salon, Mission BC: A volunteer received a new hairdo from Brighton Beach who had donated a hair coupon by Kana.

Buck-or-Two #209, Mission BC: The owners of Buck-or-Two donated a variety of tools and automobile cleaning products.

Canadian Tire Associate Store# 479, Mission BC: Canadian Tire made one lucky wheeler thriller as he walked away with a cool CO2 Cylinder that can be used for airing up tires.

Cloverdale Paint, Mission BC: Cloverdale Paints helped a couple of volunteers pretty happy when they received one of the two 40% OFF coupons.

Cobs Bread (Mission Hills), Mission BC: Cobs Bread once again helped keep out tummies happy by donating 150 hotdog buns. They went well with the Freybe Smokies that the 4WDABC Association had provided!

District of Mission on the Fraser Leisure Centre: The Leisure Centre donated 25 family day passes to their Centre.

Flight Centre, Mission BC: The Flight Centre provided a medium size suitcase, a $100.00 travel certificate, and plenty of red frisbees that the kids had fun with.

Fruits & Greens Market, Mission BC: Mr. Peters was kind enough to give us a case of fresh sweet oranges. Everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy those after many hard hours of diggin' thru piles of refuse.

Fun Bouncers, Burnaby BC: Mr Aaron Boulter is not only an active member of the 4WDABC he made our day when he provided an easy-up canopy, an industrial size BBQ, and tables.

Gail J. MacDonald, Notary Public, Mission BC: Ms. MacDonald donated a local artist plate and a black carrying bag.

Johnston Meier Insurance Group, Mission BC: This year we received a collection of colourful pens, balloons, and lots of automobile trash bags from Johnston Meier.

Lordco Auto Parts Ltd., Mission BC: Lordco always seems to be helping us out one way or another. Whether its when we need parts for our trucks or with donations for our events. The four $25.00 gift cards, hats, pens and covers all went to folks with smiles on their faces.

Mission Adopt-A-Block Society, Mission BC: Adopt-A-Block helps keep us safe. Agin the year they loaned us their large florecent safety vests and blue bags that made it easier to cleanup the FSR and parking areas.

Save-on Foods, Mission BC: Save On Foods nevers let us down. What more could we ask for ... 150 bottles of water, 150 cans of pop, condiments, paper towels, and baby wipes. Nobody gets dehydrated at our event!

T&T Auto Parts, Mission BC: T&T Auto Parts once again chipped in by donating an assortment of tools.

Tempest Development Group, Surrey BC: Tempest Development, a municipal software manufacturer/vendor in Surrey donated a fancy portfolio case and a backpack.

Tim Hortons (London Ave), Mission BC: The owners of the London branch are amazing in the Mission area. When it comes to community events, especially envoronmental ones like ours, they don't think twice about helping out.
They loaned us many garbage picking devices and donated several cases of garbage bags, recycling bags, cloth gloves, and a 100 travel mugs that even came with a free refill coupon!

Tim Hortons Cruiser, Langley BC: Angela's another person who's very willing to help out these type of events. She arranged for Frankie to come out and chill with us for a few hours in the morning. After taking a tour up Florence FSR (by mistake) and finally realizing she must have past out staging area (big grin), she brought us back hot coffee and what seemed like a years supply of Timbits!

Wendy’s Restaurants of Canada Inc., Calgary AB: Wendy's might have moved their administration from Langley to Alberta, but they got time to help us out and donated a 100 Jr. Frosty certificates.

PLEASE support these businesses and organizations as they have supported our efforts to clean up a first-rate recreation area!

In addition to door prizes and food donated by the above businesses, the use of the dump trucks and heavy equipment (and drivers) provided by 3 private companies: C&C Trucking (in previous years), Davies Sand and Gravel, and Webster Industries, plus the District of Mission's truck have all been a tremendous time-saver for this event, allowing the volunteers to focus on collecting the garbage and consolidating it on the side of the road and in the trucks and allowing the trucks to make LARGE runs to the dump.

District of Mission, Mission BC
This event would not be possible without the continuous support of the District of Mission and dedicated staff like Mr. Kim Allen and Jennifer Meire. The West Stave Lake area is contained within the district’s Tree Farm License and they are very supportive of the recreational opportunities available within TFL26. Each year the District helps by printing the events colourful posters, providing cases of garbage bags, gloves, GIS maps, a portable toilet facility, and arranging to have the tipping fees waived. But this year especially, we could not have collected the enourmous volume of garbage without the use of their backhoe and dump truck and assistance from the many staff involved with this event. The backhoe alone made an incredible difference in the amount of refuse that we were able to extract and we hope that a new precedent has been established.

Wanda Fairbairn and C&C Trucking, Mission BC
Mr Keith, Darryl, and Glenn Weed, owners of C&C Trucking, didn't think twice about helping us out again this year. Wanda, one of their drivers, has been instrumental in ensuring that dump trucks have been available to assist in these cleanups for several years and referred Webster Industries last year as she wasn't able to particpate personally.

Davies Sand & Gravel Ltd., Mission BC
Lloyd Davies of Davies Sand and Gravel has been supporting the Four Wheel Drive Association for several years by providing the use of a dump truck and a driver (Scott) for the Stave Cleanup.

Fraser Valley Metal Exchange, Mission BC
Mike Salo(representing both the South Coast All Terrainers and Fraser Valley Metal and Electroncs Recycling) provided the use of a metal collection bin for the day.

Webster Industries, Mission BC
This was Derek Webster's first time helping us out. Mr. Webster provided another tandum dump truck and a driver -- Tobi Welychka -- who happened to be a friend of Wanda!

In addition, we'd like to thank the following organizations and all of the volunteer individuals for their participation in the day’s event. It is a tremendous commitment in the busy month of June to spend an entire day cleaning up the mess left by others. As in past years, many of the participants in the day’s event indicated that they did not frequent the Stave Lake area and stated that this event was their first visit to the area - a testament to the dedication that recreation groups have in preserving our natural resources.

BC Geocaching Association
Coastal Cruisers
BC South Coast Allterrainers
Herd Of Turtles

The board of directors of the 4WDABC would like to thank the many sponsors of the Stave Lake Cleanup event and all of the volunteers who collectively contributed hundreds of hours of time and their personaly utility trailers to make this event the remarkable success that it was.

Finally, a very special thank you goes to Carolann Van de Ligt, a resident of Mission and somone that's devoted to the cause. Carolann has spent countless hours and years of continued involvement to help organization the event and garner donations.

The Four Wheel Drive Association of BC is committed to maintaining public access to public land and promoting responsible exploration of the beautiful backcountry that our Province has to offer. We hold maintenance agreements on numerous recreation sites on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts and host regular maintenance runs for the upkeep of these sites. We also liaise with various levels of governments, community groups, the RCMP, industry and other stakeholders in regards to issues surrounding the use of our forest service roads.

Chris Grant
Vice President, Four Wheel Drive Association of BC

Link to pictures is HERE ]]> yabedude http://www.4wdabc.ca/entry.php?43-8th-Annual-Stave-Lake-Cleanup-Event-Results