Editor's note: This is a letter sent to Premier Christy Clark, Mayor Rob Kirkham and other local and provincial officials. It was copied to The Chief for publication.
Re. Stawamus Chief gondola proposal.
Not everything should be easy.
I am not in favour of the proposed Sea to Sky Gondola. Urban sprawl is the enemy of biodiversity. By introducing mass tourism into the Shannon basin, east of Stawamus Chief park, the biodiversity of the area will be significantly degraded.
Both the integrity of the B.C. Parks system (and planning processes) and the usefulness of restrictive covenants as a tool to protect social and environmental values are being undermined by the proposed Sea to Sky Gondola. It is sad to think that the restrictive covenant on the North Vancouver Outdoor School (NVOS) could be next in line to be circumvented by a sufficiently determined developer.
Squamish currently has a wealth of cultural, natural, and built attractions: Quest U., Capilano U., NVOS, the Railway Heritage Park, Britannia Mine Museum, Chances Squamish, windsurfing, climbing, kayaking, the estuary, the Cheekye Fan forest, Eagle Watch, Squamish Days Loggers Sports, etc. Adding a risky, capital-intensive, seasonal gondola will not improve Squamish's ability to effectively market this amazingly diverse year-round community.
I take my hat off to Trevor Dunn and company who have romanced Squamish effectively. Sadly, so much promised during courtship doesn't pan out when the rubber hits the road and reality, financial and otherwise, sets in.
What is there at the top that makes people want to get there except the romance of climbing there? Won't a gondola kill the romance? Imagine, if you will, a gondola being built to the Olympic gold medal podium! Not everything should be made easy.
Meg Fellowes, MBABrackendale
