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Rope across trail concerns Kelowna man

A back country enthusiast discovers wire tied between trees at neck height.
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He spends his personal time cleaning up illegal dumps in the back country, but now Kane Blake has another problem on his hands.

On a recent trip with his family up Gillard Forest Service Road, Blake came across a small light blue rope strung between three trees on a trail that split into a ‘Y’.

“It was about neck height and could have easily knocked someone off of an ATV or a bike,” said the organizer of the Okanagan Forest Tast Force.

Luckily Blake, was not on his ATV, he was looking around for garbage dumped in the area when he spotted the rope.

He took it upon himself to cut it down and possibly save someone from getting seriously hurt.

“I was glad I saw it,” said Kane. “I think someone set it up to deter dirt bikers from using the trail, but it could have been really unfortunate if someone hit it while they were riding up there.”

Recently a dirt biker in Alberta was knocked from his bike, near Pincher Creek, after hitting barbed wire strung across an off-road trail.

“It was really concerning when I heard about this,” said Blake, after reading about the incident on social media. “I’m worried people are doing this on purpose, to really hurt someone.”

While Kelowna RCMP have not had any complaints of this happening near the city, Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey was troubled by what Blake found off Gillard Forest Service Road.

“Depending on the circumstances, a person deemed responsible could face a range of criminal charges as a result of their actions, which could relate to trespassing, causing damage to property and of course causing injury to another person,” said O’Donaghey.

RCMP recommend that back country enthusiasts use extra caution, scan for potential hazards, remove any hazards if safe to do so and report suspicious activity to your local police.



Jen Zielinski

About the Author: Jen Zielinski

Graduated from the broadcast journalism program at BCIT. Also holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science and sociology from Thompson Rivers University.
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