In late 2006, the Western Canada Mountain Bike Tourism Association released a study -funded in part by city halls and other groups in Squamish, Whistler and North Vancouver - stating that mountain biking-related tourism generated $1.7 million annually in Squamish alone.
This writer's hunch - and this is based on nothing but instinct - is that the figure was, or is, low. Even if it's accurate, it doesn't take into account the economic impact of Squamish's trails from other types of users including runners, hikers and orienteers. It also occurred before the advent of the BC Bike Race, which makes extensive use of our trails on Day 6 of its epic seven-day journey. It also doesn't include the future impact of a completed Sea to Sky Trail from Lions Bay to D'Arcy.
When the study was completed, it was mainly used to support the arguments of those opposed to B.C. Timber Sales' approval of logging in the area around the Powerhouse Plunge, the single most popular stretch of bike trail around these parts. At the time, the Squamish Off Road Cycling Association had determined that some 70 per cent of Squamish's trail network was slated for either logging or development - though thankfully, not all at once.
The Plunge logging project went ahead, albeit with a 25-metre buffer on either side. No doubt other such projects will proceed in the future. However, it seems to this writer that the provincial government - which has called for a doubling of tourism revenues by 2015, blah, blah - needs to take serious heed of the long-term economic value of wild and semi-wild places in towns such as ours. In short, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts can and should be an integral part of decisions made by officials who work for the Ministry of Forests and Range. Tourism and forestry can coexist, as long as there's communication and understanding of the big picture.
And the beat goes on. News that the Mind over Mountain Adventure Race (MOMAR) is leaving town in favour of Burnaby, while unfortunate, needn't be a serious setback for Squamish. There will be other events, other races, if we as a community work to protect, enhance and promote one of our greatest assets - the trail network. The $5 trail maintenance fee imposed by the District of Squamish on entrants in the various trail-centered events is a completely reasonable way to help pay for trail maintenance and upgrades. As B.C. Bike Race organizers Tom Skinner and Dean Payne pointed out in reaction to The Chief's online article about the MOMAR decision this week, events such as MOMAR like to change their locations from time to time, and organizer Bryan Tasaka might have made the leap anyway, fee or no.
And hey - our community's events calendar seems, suddenly, to have an open weekend in late May. Surely the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada, or the Mountain Bike Capital of Canada, or whatever we're calling our town these days, can attract a group of runners, orienteers, unicyclists, bicyclists or all of the above to fill the void.
- David Burke
