The provincial government and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) have joined forces to invest over half a million dollars in developing and maintaining the series of trail systems that wind their way across the Sea to Sky corridor.
West Vancouver-Garibaldi MLA Joan McIntyre was at the Squamish Adventure Centre on Tuesday (March 20) to announce a three-year partnership between the province and the SLRD, which will see $550,000 spent on the project over the next three years.
"This partnership agreement is a significant and important step in a sustainable and coordinated approach to the management of the extensive Sea to Sky corridor's trail network," said McIntyre.
Under the agreement, the province will invest $130,000 this year, with an additional $75,000 next year and a further $50,000 contribution in 2009.
"And the SLRD will contribute $150,000 in 2008, and again in 2009," said SLRD chair Russ Oakley who was on hand for the announcement.
The program is intended to be a grassroots project that will look at all the existing trails in the region, and not just the ones that are currently officially recognized by the government.
"There is approximately 800 km of trails on provincial crown land in the Sea to Sky corridor," said McIntyre. "Of that 700 km has been created by the users themselves, from mountain bikers to hikers, to all sorts of users."
The trail network partnership will work with those local users to develop a better understanding of what the current trail network inventory is, and how best to maintain it.
"We will be working with the local clubs in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton," said Tim Hoskin, the Sea to Sky region's recreation officer with the Ministry of Tourism, Sports, and Arts (MOTSA).
"Over the next three days we will be meeting with a number of clubs that have a vested interest in these trails," said Hoskin. "Then over the next couple of months we are hoping to hire a trails coordinator, which will be paid for using some of this funding. There will be ongoing communication between the coordinator, the clubs, the users, and the communities."One of the clubs that Hoskin will be working with is the Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association (SORCA).
"This money benefits everyone, not just the mountain biking community," said Chris McCrum, SORCA's trails coordinator, in a written statement.
"It will be nice to have some integrated support from all levels of government. Signage on our local trail network will not only be helpful, it will indicate the difficulty of the trails, making it safer for visitors and locals alike," said McCrum.
The municipalities served by the trail were also excited by the announcement.
"This is something that will make our community that much stronger, particularly as a destination for outdoor recreation," said acting mayor Coun. Patricia Heintzman. "This is a testament to a project coming from the grassroots up and really recognizes the important role of local volunteers."
Whistler Councillor Gordon McKeever, who has been working for the past several years to develop the Sea to Sky Trail, said the funding wouldn't go directly to the Sea to Sky trail project but will help create a system that will include a regional trail as the system's "backbone."
"It's the arterial route, the main street, up the middle, and then all the other trails would hang off it," McKeever said of the Sea to Sky Trail. "It's part of the whole, and a backbone of the whole strategy, but as far as specific funding is concerned, this [announcement] is has a broader basis to legitimize trails, to provide a viable, ongoing maintenance capacity for trails and to provide a level of assurance and security to the trail use."
The hope for all parties present at the announcement is that the increased coordination and quality of our trails will be a boon to the corridor's tourism and recreation industries.
"The SLRD recognizes this agreement as an opportunity to maintain our world-class trails for the corridor communities in the future," said Oakley. "In addition, mountain bike tourism is a major contributor to the economy of the region and this service will ensure its continued success."
-with files from Jennifer Miller, Whistler Question
