Latest Posts:

June 8, 2008 - Read the article in the Westside Weekly describing some of the changes at Bear Creek.

April 12, 2008 - It may seem like it was a quiet winter, but a lot of work was being done to build the sustainable riding area that has been talked about in previous years. The OTRA has purchased over $100,000 in trail building equipment that will be used this year to restore and redesign trails in the Bear Creek Area. Read the Spring Newsletter here.

December 5, 2007 - Important News: The BC Government is planning on implementing licensing and registration for Off-Road Vehicles. The OTRA and BCCORMA believe that some amount of the fees should be used for the enhancement of the sport andt he improvement of the riding areas. Please read the document sent to the OTRA from BCCORMA.

November 14, 2007 - Some pictures are in from the fall riding clinic. See a special page here.

October 13, 2007 - M&M donate 2 ATV's for the Okanagan Trail Riders use in the trail design and maintenance at the Bear Creen Motorized Recreation Area. Read the details here.

October 1, 2007 - Fall Newsletter
Many thanks to the Communication Director, Wendy Dyck, for assembling another terrific newsletter. Download it here.

August 4, 2007 - Emergency Erosion Repair Work at Bear Creek
Date: Fri. Aug 3
Location: Upper Pits/Creek Area

On Fri. Aug 3rd, some emergency erosion control work was performed at Bear Creek in the Bald Range Creek/Upper Pit area as well as along the road to the Upper Pits and at the Upper Pits. The repairs have resulted in troughs and catch basins being created at the base of several steep hillsides with the idea being to prevent large water flows from creating further damage into the creek area.

These changes may or may not be signed. If you will be riding in these areas, OTRA would suggest that you familiarize yourself with the changes and ride with particular care. To maintain the effectiveness of these emergency measures, we request that riders Tread Lightly while crossing these berms.

July 31, 2007 - Call for Volunteers! For those of you who may be unaware, recent heavy rains have caused significant damage in some areas of Bear Creek. Of particular concern are the areas near the Lambly Creek Watershed (Bald Range Creek) and to steep hill climbs near the Upper & Lower Pit areas.

Lakeview Irrigation District is in the process of evaluating the impact to the creek area from Dirt Bike Trails and other origins. They are planning on carrying out some work to temporarily secure the creek from further impact. Lakeview has requested our assistance to provide volunteers for manual labour for this process. If you can spare a few hours of your time this Friday (Aug 3rd) please contact Carol Boyd (878-0189) for more details. Read more details here.

June 24, 2007 - The Ministry of Tourism, Sports, and the Arts and the Okanagan Trail Riders Association are conducting an off-highway vehicle management workshop. The session, Sustainable OHV Trails – How to Plan and Manage for Success, focuses on solutions and will be held at Okanagan University.

June 22, 2007 - Earth Shattering News! Major Funding Announcement! An email will be going out about this, but if you missed it, read it here.

April 30, 2007 - May meeting postponed until May 8, 2007.

April 30, 2007 - South Okanagan Dirt Bike Club is holding a Poker run (2MB download) on May 6, 2007.

April 27, 2007 - Castanet.net article about Dirt Bike Sound testing.

April 12, 2007 - Westside Weekly article about the OTRA application for stewardship in the Bear Creek riding area.

April 7, 2007 - The gargantuan, monstrous, overwhelmingly spectacular, spring newsletter is ready for reading. Download and enjoy!

April 3, 2007 - The OTRA will be assisting the Okanagan Dirt Riders at the April 22 event with sound testing. Terry Burke, who recently traveled to the USA for a motorcycle conference, attended a certification course on sound testing. Testing will be mandatory. Since we all know that excessive noise is the #1 issue with off road motorcycles, the OTRA will be actively helping motorcyclists reduce the noise of their machines. The goal for this year is to get every competitor's machine down below 96dba. The first step is to measure your bike so you know where it stands in comparison to others, and to the 96dba goal.

April 3, 2007 - Ken Umbarger, President of the OTRA, announced that significant funding was on the way for the club in amounts that no one was even dreaming about a few years ago. This funding will be used for restoration, mapping, signing, and trail building in the Bear Creek area. More information to follow...

April 3, 2007 - The members decided to "hold the line" on membership fees for 2007, as this Association is still in the building stage. The $20 membership fee gets to be a bigger bargain each year as the Association grows, and it achieves more significant results. Thank you for your support in the past, and please renew your membership today.

March 24, 2007 - there will be a Swap Meet on April 22nd. Please read the following notice.

March 17, 2007 - An observer at the recent Regional District Advisory Planning Commission meeting sent his thoughts to the OTRA. It seems that the Bear Creak RMZ is under attack again. Read his opinion here.

March 16, 2007 - The 2007 events calendar is now available. You can download and print it here.

March 16, 2007 - the fall Riding Clinic date has changed. Download and print the notice here.

November 1, 2006 - Castanet.net ran a poll on the web about the OTRA's funding request. Here is the wording of the poll question:

November 1, 2006 - Front Page News! The OTRA makes the headlines with its progressive ideas.

October 31, 2006 - Letter to the Editor of the Kelowna Daily Courier

October 29, 2006 - Stewardship Press Release

October 15, 2006 - The riders clinic was a fantastic success. See some pictures here. More information to follow...

September 2, 2006 - Adrian's Report on the July Fun Days and Riding Clinic

September 2, 2006 - President's Ramble - August 2006

April 9, 2006 - The "Kokanee Boys" certainly know how to build bridges to help the environment. This group of outdoor enthusiasts and riders heard about the problems the club was facing in Bear Creek and took the initiative by constructing a fantastic bridge. Club members were on hand to help unload the bridge constructed to cross a sensitive creek. Built with donated materials and labor provided by the "Kokanee Boys", the bridge is a solid indicator that the OTR and its members are serious about protecting the streams that flow into Bear Creek.

The club is now arranging to have the bridge moved over the creek via helicopter. Know anyone with a good helicopter who would be willing to loan it out for a good cause??

The all metal bridge was unloaded (with people power) by members of the Okanagan Trail Riders. Most crossings can be achieved with a simpler design, but this certainly proves that the "Kokanee Boys" are willing to "go the distance"!

April 9, 2006 - a Bear Creek awareness event and clean up was held on the 9th. Club members were there with a local Conservation Officer to educate the public on the need for environmental care and make them aware of noise concerns. Members also cleaned a popular camping area so everyone can utilize the area without the unsightly garbage left by the bush party idiots.

April 4, 2006 - Damage! - Some hard work by club members was undone by an unknown group at the Bear Creek lower pits. Last year our members installed men's and ladies outhouses. They were completely destroyed for no reason at all by a group that was partying at the site. Pictures here. Kelowna Capital News article (April 7) here.

Previous Posts:

February 26, 2006 - Progress! Lakeview Irrigation and OTR are working together to solve the problems. We all want this area to be managed for both recreation use and as a source of clean water for our families.

February 12, 2006 - OTR February Newsletter

February 10, 2006 - Off-road Vehicle Users Demand Say in Watershed Use - Kelowna Capital News Article

February 9, 2006 - OTR Letter to Regional District of the Central Okanagan regarding Meeting held on January 23rd at the Westside Board Office.

February 7, 2006 - OTR meets with James Moller (LID) and sends follow up letter detailing meeting topics

February 1, 2006 - ***Update*** OTR sends Thank You to Hon Rick Thorpe, MLA

February 3, 2006 - OTR plans awareness campaign and action plan to educate riders using Bear Creek area.

January 28, 2006 - MLA Rick Thorpe meets with OTR

January 28, 2006 - Press Release from OTR on the Bear Creek area.

January 25, 2006 - Local residents support OTR and Bear Creek riding area.

January 25, 2006 - Kelowna Capital News - article about Licensing fees.

January 22, 2006 - OTR President cites reasons for staying and managing the watershed instead of just using the same old "kick them out" approach.

January 15, 2006 - Lakeview Irrigation attacks recreational riders again!

January 13, 2006 - Watershed Workshop in Kelowna. (Attended by members of the OTR)

December 12, 2005 - ORV Final Report to be submitted to the BC Government for review

December 5, 2005 - Kelowna Daily Courier follow up story on Lakeview Irrigation District

November 23, 2005 - Letter posted in local newspaper by Lakeview Irrigation District Manager shows need for action by club members and local riders

November 15, 2005 - Kelowna Daily Courier report on Lakeview Irrigation Newsletter

November 10, 2005 - News Conference by OTR regarding alleged problems raised by Lakeview Irrigation District.

November 10, 2005 - News story on Castanet.net regarding Lakeview Irrigation District's comments on Trail Riders in Bear Creek RMZ.

November 9, 2005 - News story on Kelowna Capital News web site regarding Lakeview Irrigation claims.

November 8, 2005 - Club Message about responsible riding