New lands are opening up for local ATV club members, courtesy a new agreement with Mosaic Forest Management. (Mid-Island ATV Club)

By Alex Rawnsley

throttle up

New agreement opens up extensive portions of Mosaic land for local ATV riders

Jul 29, 2022 | 3:55 PM

NANAIMO — Local ATV riders are celebrating a new relationship agreement which is opening up considerably more land for them to legally ride on.

The deal between Mosaic Forest Management and ATV BC will see all six Island clubs be granted additional access to Mosaic lands on weekends and statutory holidays.

Edwin Peeters, past president with the Mid-Island ATV Club, said it builds on an existing agreement which had been in place for many years and worked well for local riders.

“The new one is about five times the area that we previously had access to, so from a club membership point of view it’s incredible. It’s a huge area.”

The updated land area includes backcountry land between Nanoose Bay and areas south of Nanaimo on Nanaimo Lakes Rd., then inland to the eastern side of Mt. Arrowsmith and down to the southern tip of Fourth Lake.

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In order to ride legally, club members must wear high-visibility gear and be properly insured, including liability insurance.

Those details will be managed by the club, which Peeters admitted would be a challenge.

Riders also won’t be able to stay overnight or hold any campfires, while they must report anything out of the ordinary, including fires, to Mosaic or the relevant authorities.

“Mosiac does have the right, at any time, to close the area due to the risk of wildfires or other things,” Peeters told NanaimoNewsNOW. “For this long weekend, sadly to say this morning [Friday, July 29] I received an email from Mosaic and they’ve closed everything for this long weekend.”

The agreement is the first one with Mosaic which includes all six recognized ATV clubs on Vancouver Island and will affect members across Vancouver Island.

“It will give us the opportunity to do things that we have not been able to do in the past, and yes there are hoops to jump through and requirements to meet, but if you meet all those requirements…in theory you’d be able to get on your ATV in Nanoose and ride all the way to Sooke.”

The Mid-Island ATV Club is one of the largest of its kind in B.C., boasting around 700 members.

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alex@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley