Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, May 27th 2020 - The Voyageur Trails Association today announced that it will be undertaking a considerable social media campaign in response to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s implementation of an amendment to Ontario Regulation 665/98 (Hunting) which took effect for the 2020 Bear Hunting season and which reduces the minimum distance requirement for placement of bait near rights of way and trails for black bear hunting from 200m to 30m. The aim of the social media campaign is to ensure safe trail access for all user groups, including encouraging all trail users to wear blaze orange until the Spring bear hunt ends on June 15th, 2020. The campaign will also address how to respond to bear encounters on or near the trail and calls on the Ministry to review its decision based on a lack of stakeholder consultation.
The Ontario Government made the decision to implement the proposed revision to the Regulation after the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry posted the proposal on the Environmental Registry for a 47-day comment period (May 1st through June 17th, 2019) in which over 600 members of the public responded. While responses from the public were varied, there is no evidence of wider stakeholder engagement with hiking organization like the Voyageur Trails Association.
As a trails organization with membership spanning from Sudbury to Thunder Bay, the Voyageur Trail Association objects to the lack of initial consultation as well as the lack of notification regarding implementation of the amendment on the grounds of concerns for public safety. While the VTA recognizes that the environmental impacts of this change are expected to be neutral, this decision presents a real and considerable risk of both negative human-wildlife interactions and negative interactions amongst user groups.
“It is very concerning to think that unknowing hikers may encounter bears or hunters on or near our trails because of the increased proximity of bait. Without sufficient warning, these individuals are at increased risk of being mauled or otherwise attacked by a bear. Furthermore, many are unaware of the increased need to wear blaze orange or other high-visibility apparel due to the increased closeness of hunters” said Mark Crofts, President of the Saulteaux Voyageur Trail Club and VP Central with the Voyageur Trails Association’s Coordinating Council.
These risks are heightened due to COVID-19. “With public health advocates encouraging people to combat the mental health challenges of social or physical distancing by taking walks in nature, we are fielding a higher than normal number of inquiries from novice hikers seeking advice on accessing our trails” said Kelsey Johansen, Social Media Coordinator for the Voyageur Trail Association. “These hikers have limited knowledge of the trails or of bush craft, so the risk of negative human-bear or hiker-hunter interactions increases, contributing to the need for our social media campaign” she added.
Furthermore, with organizations like Ontario Parks and conservation authorities limiting access to user amenities like washrooms to limit COVID-19 exposure risks in high contact areas, trail users are being asked to practice Leave No Trace Principles and find safe places to take care of personal hygiene in the bush. “Leave No Trace is a set of 7 Principles that aim to ensure outdoorsperson’s limit the environmental impacts of their presence in natural areas. Leave No Trace Principles require trail users to dig catholes and otherwise engage in toileting practices a minimum of 60m from a trail, waterway, parking lot, etc. As such, hikers are likely to leave the trail and travel a minimum of 60 meters on either side of the trail in order to relieve themselves. This puts them at risk of encountering: bears, bear bait, and hunters and is an unacceptable risk” said Dr. Harvey Lemelin, a Professor in the School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism at Lakehead University and the Voyageur Trail Association’s Trail Master. Lemelin’s extensive research on bear and human interactions and human dimensions of parks management dates to 1997. Since joining Lakehead University’s faculty in 2004, he has led considerable backcountry hiking, biking and fat biking educational expeditions for students, and has worked extensively with communities to draft codes of conduct for trail users seeking permission to access Indigenous lands.
Considering these risks, the Voyageur Trails Association’s Coordinating Council proposes that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry implement a two-year trial period in which the minimum distance requirement for placement of bait near rights of way and trails for black bear hunting is set at 100m and that they provide signage for display at trailheads to advise hikers of the change in regulation. Furthermore, the Coordinating Council encourages the Ministry to engage in public consultation with organizations like the Voyageur Trail Association and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, the Ontario Trails Council and Hike Ontario to study the impact of this decision on all user groups.
