BEPPLE – Closing public spaces during times of high fire risk isn’t done lightly

PUBLIC SPACES are so important. Last week’s hugely successful Ribfest at Riverside Park and Hotnite in the City in downtown Kamloops are testament to how important gathering places are for community. Tens of thousands got together to enjoy the sights and sounds of festivities.

People value the opportunity to use public spaces.

Equally important are the quieter spaces. Kamloops has some amazing nature parks including Kenna Cartwright Park, Peterson Creek Park, and Valleyview Nature Park. These parks don’t have massive gatherings, but are equally loved by their users.

The recent brief closure of nature parks earlier this month due to fire risk highlighted how important the nature parks are to city residents. Dog walkers, hikers and mountain bikers all appreciate the chance to get outdoors. Throughout Kamloops, people complained about the loss of access to the nature parks.

It wasn’t just recreational users who were impacted by the nature park closures.

The Xget’tem’ Trail linking Upper Sahali to the downtown was also closed. As well as a walking path, the trail is also an important commuter cycling route. There was a big impact on cyclists who use the trail for their regular commute from Sahali, Gleneagles and Aberdeen down to the valley bottom.

Dog walkers, hikers and commuter cyclists all voiced their displeasure with the closure of the parks.

It is easy to take our public spaces for granted until they aren’t accessible.
Temperatures are heating up. What little rain there has been has soaked up or evaporated. Drought conditions continue. It seems likely there will more nature park closures.

When spaces are closed, there are always arguments on whether specific groups should be allowed to continue to use the space. A cyclist speeding down the Xget’tem’ Trail from the top to the bottom wouldn’t pose a fire risk. A quiet dog walker rambling the Valleyview Nature Park isn’t a threat. Others may pose a risk, but not me.

But closures are universal. Everyone needs to be excluded even though it is only a small number who pose a risk of starting a fire. The City does not have jurisdiction to exclude specific people, so the closure is for everyone.

The commuter cyclists on the Xget’tem’ Trail were hoping that they could be allowed to continue to use the trail. They felt that commuting infrastructure should be excluded from the closures. But unfortunately, when an area is closed, it is closed for everyone.

The outcry from cyclists about the closure of the Xget’tem’ Trail can be seen as a positive.

The number of cyclists impacted by the closure of the trail shows that Kamloops is becoming a cycling city. The infrastructure that has been built for cyclists is being used. The short closure of the trail had a huge impact on regular cycle commuters. Going forward, more thought needs to be given to how closures impact commuter cyclists.

The nature parks closures had a big impact on the responsible many. But also a big benefit for everyone that there was a bit more peace of mind knowing that there was less risk of fire.

Going forward, it seems inevitable that there will be more closures of public spaces due to fire risk. The drought continues. The temperatures are going up again. We all are on edge with the threat of fire.

As Joni Mitchell said “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.”

Public spaces are so important. Closing them is not done lightly. If it happens again, we will all pay the price with the loss of places to recreate and getting around. But we’ll all gain some peace of mind as well.

Nancy Bepple is a Kamloops City councillor with a strong interest in community building projects.