This is an open letter to Mt Seymour Resort (from Mick Bailey)   Readers, please feel free to SHARE it so that a respectful discussion can occur and a workable solution can be reached. To begin with, we must raise awareness or this problem will likely continue  This regards an issue that has been smouldering within the hiking, skiing and climbing community for the better part of the last decade... When someone shows up early to access Mt Seymour for a sunrise hike or a...

The large scope of the closure due to the Joffre landslide at Cerise Creek is receiving some pushback. This closure seems to be of particular concern to the commercial mountain guide operators, who must obtain a permit before teaching their courses and running guided parties in the area. With the closure, they cannot obtain such permits any more. Also of concern is the complete lack of management in the area, which is extremely apparent at Keith's Hut, which has been a free-for-all gong...

Crown land is to be returned to Squamish Nation, including world-class rock climbing area near Murrin Provincial Park. The province has promised to transfer several parcels of Crown land back to the Squamish Nation in exchange for the First Nation's support of the local Woodfibre LNG project. Time will tell whether or not this game of chess by the province and big industry (Woodfibre LNG) will lead to yet again a loss or reduction of access to the outdoor non-motorized recreation...

Abuse it, and we lose it. Such is the case for Joffre Lakes Provincial Park, and everywhere else... The easiest and perhaps laziest method for government to manage an area is via restrictions, closures and quotas. If the public makes a mess of a park or wilderness space, we are providing ample justification for government (BC Parks in this case) to choose the management style of restrictions, quotas, bans, fees and closures. Our choice, our...

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it." In this case, the above famous Upton Sinclair quote applies to Squamish resident Sabrina FooFat, who once opposed the Garibaldi At Squamish Resort, but now seems to have had a change of heart after being hired by the wealthy and powerful Aquilinis to manage the project after the recent retirement of Rod MacLeod. The more things change, the more the stay the...

Apparently the concept of "Leave no Trace" hiking is a message that is often forgotten. It is sad to think that the main trail to Joffre Lakes has become a wilderness garbage dump. Trails, Parks, Wilderness Areas and Rec Sites do not clean up themselves, and the wilderness experience of those who would visit an area after you have come and gone is just as important as your experience in the here and now. A special thank you to all the volunteers out there maintaining and cleaning...

The term "Carrying Capacity" can be used by BC Parks as a cudgel to restrict access to a park without any quantitative or scientific justification. On many occasions I have asked BC Parks to quantitatively define the carrying capacity for a given Park, facility or subset area of a park after the term is repeatedly peppered throughout a planning document or masterplan (the Cerise Creek Conservancy Plan is such an example). To date, I have yet to receive any numbers or valid scientific data...

B.C. backcountry users seeking 'Right to Roam' bolstered by court decision "We're not asking for what you might see in Scotland, where you can hike through someone's backyard with clothes on the line" — Barry Janyk, executive director, B.C. Federation of Mountain Clubs A recent B.C. Supreme Court decision restoring public access to two fishing lakes on land owned by the Douglas Lake Cattle Company has reinvigorated efforts by backcountry users who want the provincial government to...

A group of campers with a fire in the alpine at Mt Outram. To get there, they had to pass several signs saying "No Fires". Their excuse was that it was cold. If you aren't prepared for the conditions you should reasonably expect, don't go. MFLNRO signage in the area: "Use Stoves Only.  No Fires in the Sub-Alpine Area.  Help Preserve this Fragile Environment for the Future.  Thank you".  

Wells Gray Provincial Park Recreation Strategy BC Parks is seeking public input in developing a Recreation Strategy for Wells Gray Provincial Park. We want to hear from you!   Wells Gray Provincial Park is one of the province’s most unique landscapes and premiere outdoor recreation and tourism destinations. Over the past decade, visitation has grown, community expectations have evolved, the regional economy has changed, and tourism is now booming. In collaboration with First...

The Joffre Lakes Provincial Park Survey Results are now available here: https://bit.ly/1Lh6XGB Earlier this year, BC Parks implemented an action plan for Joffre Lakes Park to address pressing public safety concerns. The plan includes parking lot expansion, a shuttle bus service on busy weekends, and enforcement of illegal parking on highway shoulders. BC Parks continues to look for a variety of solutions to improve recreational opportunities throughout the province while protecting...

Spoils of #nature on Instagram Natural sites are being overrun by a new wave of tourists just "doin' it for the 'Gram.  And the consequences are far from harmless:  threatened fauna and flora, exhausted staff, competitive jockeying for framespace.  When our call of the wild rings false.   Article below: https://beside.media/dossier/spoils-of-nature-on-instagram/?fbclid=IwAR31Ho0COXm34-r_CUSg6cfv-ArjjRZsgS-JFRsUH3Jq3r4I5JgtcbC97Tc

How do B.C.'s eco-friendly outhouses work? With foot pumps and feces-eating worms Rising number of visitors to B.C.’s backcountry pushes province to look for human waste solutions It's not exactly a savoury topic, but outhouse maintenance is a big deal in the backcountry. And in some parts of British Columbia, dealing with human waste costs tens of thousands of dollars.  The number of visitors to B.C. nature sites and campgrounds is growing every year, prompting B.C. Parks to look for...

Volunteer trail builders in Fraser Valley describe provincial crackdown People volunteer to build and maintain trails the local community wants to use, but they can't continue their work into the Crown land — the province has ordered the Chilliwack Parks Society, of which Houlker is a member, to cease and desist."I was quite shocked," said Houlker. "I haven't done any [trail building] for a few weeks now, which I'm kind of upset about." 'Massive...

Disappearing climates in the Garibaldi park complex between 1980 to 2100 under scenario RCP 4.5 (Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP): greenhouse gas concentration (not emissions) trajectory adopted by the intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change for its fifth Assessment Report (AR5) in 2014). Disappearing icefields, uphill shifts of native climates, influx of novel climates will characterize climatic change in the park complex. To quote from the report...

Almost all of the 30 gondola cars attached to the cable crashed to the ground around 4 a.m. on Saturday RCMP say they believe someone deliberately cut the cable of the Sea-to-Sky gondola located along Highway 99 in Squamish, B.C., felling the two-kilometre cable route early Saturday morning. The gondola, which wasn't operating at the time, normally carries up to 240 passengers at a time on its 30 cars. The trip from the base to the summit 885 metres above sea level...

Years ago, we took the MV Garibaldi II from Darrel Bay to access the Woodfibre Pulp Mill in order to climb Mt. Roderick and Mt. Sedgwick. While Woodfibre LNG appears to be amenable to the public accessing the area through their tenure/plant, what I would really like to see is the public being able to ride their workers' ferry to access this wonderful area. Let Woodfibre LNG hear our voices. Make the needs of the non-motorized backcountry recreation community known in a respectful...

Backcountry BC has joined an international coalition launching a campaign in opposition to proposed mining in local ‘donut hole’ Conservation, wildlife groups, First Nations call on BC Gov’t to deny mining permit in Skagit Valley A coalition of more than 110 conservation recreation and wildlife groups, as well as local elected officials, businesses and First Nations from both British Columbia and Washington are redoubling their efforts to oppose a mining permit in one of Hope’s...

The problem of overcrowded parks and hiking trails did not happen overnight or by total accident. The numbers of hikers is annually increasing at double the population growth rate of the GVRD. A core set of philosophical questions that lead to an understanding of yourself or a problem is: Where did I come from? Who am I today? Where am I going? So after decades of Government underfunding, decades of Government prioritization of commercial operators, decades of...

BC Budget 2020 The Federation of Mountain Clubs of BC recently made a submission to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services on the 2020 provincial budget. The FMCBC requested an increase in funding for BC Parks. However, the question was, how much to request? Alex Wallace of the FMCBC provided the following interesting background on BC Parks' annual operation budget over the years. Reprinted with his permission. The BC Parks annual operating budget was roughly $35...

In my day job as philosopher and University Lecturer, when I deal with an object, idea, or problem, I ask three simple questions. 1) Where did the problem/idea come from? 2) What is the problem/idea today? 3) Where is this problem/idea going in the future? It is the same as asking "Where do I come from, Who am I today, where am I going?" This article with Steve Jones suggests to me that BC Parks hasn't even begun to understand any of these basic questions....

have to take the side of BC Parks on this one. Rumour has it this Joffre Lakes gong show is consuming vast quantities of BC Parks's time and resources (not that they have much to begin with). Images of hordes of angry drooling zombies roaming about the Duffy come to mind. -x- BC Parks staff experience verbal abuse after bus is delayed on Canada Day long weekendTHE NEW JOFFRE Lakes visitor management plan ran into problems on its first long weekend in operation. The Canada...

This seems like a good thing, but as the wisest woman I ever knew taught me (my Grandmother), all that glitters is not gold. The cynic in me wonders why the province now spends $955,000 for this 5.6 hectares of land ($69,000 per acre), yet the crown sold off 610 acres to Aquilini Development (Garibaldi at Squamish) at the blow-out price of $5,000 per acre. Things that make you go "hmmm" Reference:...

We have some outstanding concerns that need to be addressed pertaining to the proposed Bridal Falls Gondola. My personal belief is that commercial development is an important part of our economy, however, wildlife, habitat, old growth forests, biodiversity, and backcountry non-motorized recreation access issues must first be addressed and respected. A balance of values can and should always be achieved. "Business leaders, politicians and media were there to hear a presentation from...