– I think it’s a bit strange that it will be a battle, when we already have a huge number of snowmobile and open country trails up here, says Lars Krempig, nature photographer and father of Villmarksbarna from the news series of the same name. The 54-year-old is originally from Voss, but has lived in Finnmark for 28 years, where he works as a teacher at Alta folkehøgskole. It was the virgin nature and the vast wilderness areas with opportunities for hunting, fishing and berry picking that drew him north. Nature photographer and teacher at Alta folkehøgskole, Lars Krempig, clears away the skis for the winter. Photo: Hanne Larsen / news Now he watches with unease as more and more political parties almost compete to open up the expanse for more motorized traffic. – I wish the politicians would rather focus on the trademark of Finnmark, which is precisely the untouched nature and the wonderful opportunities for outdoor life. – And you must not use a motor to get out, adds Krempig. Paying homage to offenses But it is precisely more driving that more and more politicians in Finnmark are eager for. Among other things, the parliamentary leader of Nordkalottfolket, Toril Bakken Kåven. In a reader’s article published in several media this spring, including Dagsavisen, she pays tribute to those who break today’s motor traffic law: “I want to send my thanks to everyone who breaks the law! Who go illegally to fishing waters, who pick mullets on marshes and tell the rest of us about the state of our outback. Who drive for the sake of the trip, so someone still knows and knows the snow’s many properties, and sees changes in nature. Without them, knowledge would have already died out.” Toril Bakken Kåven is a parliamentary leader in Nordkalottfolket and at the same time runs his own outdoor farm in Alta. Photo: Hanne Larsen / news This shakes up Lars Krempig. – That a politician can encourage breaking the law is absolutely crazy, he says. Toril Bakken Kåven tells news that she defends what she has written. She believes that old traditions such as berry picking, hunting and fishing are in danger if people are not allowed to get to the mountains with modern aids. – Today’s Motor Traffic Act prevents us from using the areas our ancestors used. Many of the waters and berry bogs are so far into the fjord that it will be impossible to go there in one day, she says. Motor traffic in outlying areas Motoring in outlying areas is prohibited, with exceptions for purposes that are directly permitted by law or regulations on motoring in outlying areas. In addition, exemptions can be granted for specific purposes. There may be transport of firewood and luggage and equipment to your own cabin. Before you go to purchase a vehicle, you should therefore know that you are allowed to drive. The municipality can also grant a dispensation for the use of snowmobiles in winter, or for bare ground driving in summer, for special purposes as described in the Motor Traffic Act or related regulations. Snowmobile trails and open country trails Snowmobile trails and open country trails are also exceptions to the general rule that all motor traffic in outback is prohibited. Open country trails only exist in Finnmark and it is not permitted to adopt new open country trails. The county governor has adopted municipal regulations for barmar trails in Finnmark where there have previously been traditional thoroughfares and motor traffic has been permitted. Sources: The Norwegian Environment Agency, the State Administrator in Troms and Finnmark FRP have been joined Finnmark has 6,000 kilometers of snowmobile trails, more than there are car roads, and 700 kilometers of open country trails. But this is not enough, according to several. For a long time, the FRP was the only party to believe that the current motoring laws are too strict, but in recent years they have been joined by other parties. Both in county politics and in the Sámi Parliament, there are many who want to liberalize the current law. Including the position party NSR (Norske Samers Riksforbund), and the party that is breathing down their necks – Bakken Kåven’s party, Nordkalottfolket. They presented a list to the Sami Parliament from 2005 and were established as a party in 2016. Led by Bakken Kåven, they have become a significant power factor in the Sami Parliament in record time, as the second largest party. This year they also submit a list to the county council. The core issue is that more people should be able to harvest from nature with the help of motorized vehicles. A message that resonates with many Finnish markets. The party believes that reindeer herding seizes too large areas of land at the expense of other interests, and has therefore also garnered many votes among permanent resident Sami. Bakken Kåven himself runs field farming. She makes food and drinks from plants and herbs she finds in nature. Nevertheless, she claims that this is not about her, but about all the others, who she believes have been deprived of the right to engage in harvesting. – If we are ever to have a chance to teach our children to like nature and get out to pick berries, then we must actually get them there, says Bakken Kåven. – Violent wear and tear Knut Ingar Olsen in the Rødt i Alta party belongs to a minority of parties who believe that the current law works well enough. He stiffens when he hears Bakken Kåven talking about taking the children out into nature. – You don’t need to drive the children far into the fjord to enjoy nature and teach them to use a knife and pick berries, says Olsen. Knut Ingar Olsen in Rødt and Toril Bakken Kåven in the Nordkalottfolket meet for a discussion about how open land in Finnmark should be used. Photo: Hanne Larsen / news He believes that the policy that more and more people are supporting is a step in the wrong direction. – We are going in the opposite direction to what we should be doing with regard to the climate and the environment. There is already a lot of wear and tear on the plain as it is used in modern times. Also when it comes to reindeer herders’ use of motorized vehicles, says the party leader. – We are not talking about making new tracks in nature, but about using the old roads that are already there, says Toril Bakken Kåven. This is what it looks like in several places on Finnmarksvidda where the four-wheelers have driven. Photo: Eilif Aslaksen / news Reineier knows the pressure – It is quite obvious that a more liberal motoring law will affect our operations negatively. The sum of all area interventions means that the need to reduce disturbances is great, says reindeer owner Marit Meløy. She has reindeer in district 22, which is located in Vest-Finnmark. The summer pasture is in Hammerfest municipality, while the winter pasture is in Kautokeino municipality. Reindeer owner Marit Meløy is concerned that more people want more driving in the countryside. She is afraid it will disturb the reindeer. Photo: Privat She says that the pressure to allow snowmobilers to drive to the mountains after 5 May is great. It is the date for when the winter slopes must be closed due to the calving time for reindeer and the nesting time for birds. This year, 200 applications were received to the State Administrator in Troms and Finnmark to keep the snowmobile trails open for longer. 146 of these were granted. Despite the fact that 3/4 of the applications were granted, there was still a storm of complaints on Facebook. Meløy is also upset that politician Toril Bakken Kåven pays tribute to those who break the Motor Traffic Act. – We already have problems with people who break the law and drive into our calving areas after 5 May. The fact that a party leader encourages breaking the law feeds under such attitudes, she says. Bakken Kåven tells news that permanent resident Sámi are not unaccustomed to what she calls “various attacks from individual reindeer owners”. – They want to protect the unique position they have of being able to use the open field alone, now that the rest of us are denied the access we previously had, says Bakken Kåven. A government-appointed road traffic committee is working on a proposal for what a new law might look like. This work has been initiated by the FRP and the Conservative Party in the Storting. The proposal will be presented in December. While some parties talk about free areas for scooters, others talk about extending trails or connecting trails. There are tracks that this individual fears there will be more of, if the politicians succeed in opening up the expanse for more driving. Photo: Hanne Larsen / news Saying yes to “everyone” In Kautokeino municipality, the municipality today grants exemptions from the current regulations in almost all cases. Isak Mathis O. Hætta sits on the dispensation committee and tells news that they receive around 1,000 applications annually. Most are granted. – In each application, it is requested to drive in three or four routes. So in this way, there will be 3,000–4,000 applications altogether, he says. Isak Mathis O. Hætta sits on the dispensation committee in Kautokeino municipality. He confirms that the municipality approves almost all applications for off-road driving beyond the legal routes. Photo: Piera Balto / news Hætta believes the law should open up so that everyone in the municipality could drive where they wanted. – But it will only apply to the municipality’s residents, he says. – Lazier and lazier Outdoor teacher Lars Krempig in Alta is disappointed that there is a desire for more driving. One thing is all the ruts and noise he fears will accompany a more liberal policy. Another thing is public health. – We just get lazier and lazier. There is something about being able to struggle a little for the experience, he says. Lars Krempig harvests from nature all year round using his own machine. Photo: Privat Krempig believes the politicians are characterized by populism and panic in this case. – They may think that this is what people want. But there are a great many of us who get a kick out of being able to go out into a wilderness that is untouched by noise and tracks, he says.
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The politicians in Finnmark want more scooters and four-wheelers on the plain, this worries many – news Troms and Finnmark
