Introducing Advocacy in Action Spotlights

- By Monika Bittel, FMCBC Director, Recreation & Conservation Committee - Across British Columbia, FMCBC members and volunteers do far more than participate in outdoor recreation. Through trip leadership, skills training, mentorship, safety initiatives, stewardship, and hands-on trail and hut projects, they become informed and effective advocates for self-propelled outdoor recreation. By working directly on trails and in parks, members gain first-hand knowledge of local recreation areas [...]

Paradise at Risk: Choosing Stewardship for BC’s Backcountry

- By Steven Miros, a member of the Kootenay Mountaineering Club - Have you noticed changes in BC's backcountry? Favourite trails that were quiet a decade ago now see dozens on a summer day. Alpine meadows braided with new paths. Litter appearing. Wildlife scarcer. That special spot you scouted now trending on social media. Trailheads overflowing by dawn. Rising rescues. Hesitation to share locations even with friends. [...]

Recreation & Conservation Committee Report

- July 2025 - By Monika Bittel, Rec & Con Committee Chair FMCBC’s Recreation and Conservation Committee (Rec & Con) advocates for the interests of public self-propelled backcountry recreation in BC. The Committee tends to focus on issues in southwest BC because, for most Committee members, this is their primary recreation area. However, since changing to virtual meetings, members from other regions participate in the monthly meetings [...]

Club Spotlight: Ribbons of Green Trails Society

Greater Vernon is home to one of BC’s most dedicated trail advocacy groups—the Ribbons of Green Trails Society (RoGTS). Since their beginnings in the early 1990s, this volunteer-driven organization has been working to ensure that residents and visitors alike can enjoy a safe, connected, and inspiring network of non-motorized trails. From hiking and cycling to everyday active transportation, the Society’s efforts highlight how trails are not just pathways—they’re [...]

Hiking the Vancouver Island Trail

This June, several Vancouver Island Trail Association Board of Directors, volunteers and fellow hikers had the pleasure of hiking stages 2 and 3 of the Alberni Inlet Trail, part of the extensive Vancouver Island Trail (VIT). The VIT offers non-motorized, outdoor enthusiasts a scenic and historically rich experience. Winding along the rugged coastline of Vancouver Island near Port Alberni, these stages treat hikers to sweeping views of [...]

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