It’s the month to pay your dues. The saying goes there are two things in life we can’t escape: death and taxes. If you live in Squamish, you might as well add travelling our trail network to that list.
As the summer season ramps up and we all get ready to tie into ropes, drop into boats and tune our bikes, let’s not forget another important piece of gear: community memberships.
I would never “forget” to purchase my fishing license – because I know it goes toward conservation and advocacy. Yet somehow I arrived in Squamish in 2017 and purchasing my Squamish Access Society membership slipped my mind for an entire year.
At $10 for a five-year membership, there’s no excuse. The value is hard to beat.
Same for the $60 yearly membership to the Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association, $165 for the Squamish Windsports Society, $40 for the Paddling Club or the $10 family membership for the Squamish Trails Society.
Most people who use our outdoor infrastructure have some idea of how many volunteer hours go into the physical maintenance and trails. Whether they be film nights or meetups, the value of community building is also obvious.
But the role of board meetings and advocacy? It can seem less urgent, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the history of a particular crag or put-in.
As a community reporter, sitting in on council meetings each week, I’m reminded all the time of the hard work these community organizations do and the things they achieve.
There’s not always room in our articles for the whole backstory.
For example, no one would likely be welcome at the Smoke Bluffs if not for the Squamish Access Society.
And while The Chief has covered mountain biking access to the Cheema lands extensively, it’s hard to capture how much work has gone into successful negotiations behind the scenes.
Access to Ashlu Creek is being hampered this year by a collapsed bridge, but without the efforts of kayakers when the dam went online in 2009, there might not be any run at all.
It is very hard to balance outdoor access in a booming town like Squamish.
Different stakeholders – from residents, land owners, industry, event organizers, environmental groups and the outdoors community – all have a different perspective.
Thanks to the hard work and volunteer spirit of our outdoor champions, a little goes a long way in ensuring that outdoor voices are heard both on the trails and in the board rooms.
There is no CRA (Canada Recreation Agency?) or IRS (Internal Recreation Service?) hunting us down on the river or on the trails this month. It’s on us to pay our dues.
*Please note, this column has been corrected to state that SORCA's membership is $60.
