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“We need a balanced, practical, common-sense approach, where we can continue to use the trails and do random camping and make sure our children and grandchildren grow up they way we did.

“And we don’t have to shut down the land to do that.”

Saturday’s rally was the fifth such event in the province in the past several weeks.

Opponents have been organizing since January, when the government revealed boundaries for two parks in the Castle region and announced a draft plan to phase out RVs, quads, dirtbikes and other off-road vehicles from the area within five years. Those who use such vehicles have been blamed for tearing up trails, damaging waterways and causing other mayhem detrimental to the land and wildlife.

Rally organizer Garett Schmidt said the government’s policy of “locking up the outdoors only to be seen from afar” is an overreaction to a small percentage of users who fail to the treat the environment with respect.

He said the vast majority of the wilderness recreation community see themselves as stewards of the land who use off-highway vehicles to do random camping.

Schmidt said his organization, the Off Highway Vehicle Association, wants more robust consultations with the government. The best approach would be for the association and government to work together to develop environmentally friendly trails, and to give law enforcement more resources to catch those who break the rules, he said.

However, a number of environmental groups and experts have applauded the province’s move to toward a complete ban on motorized vehicles, saying the Castle parks have already endured enough damage to valuable ecosystems.