To have and to hold: Each one of us would place beauty at the top of our list when it comes to things we value and want to share with family, friends and visitors.
We appreciate beauty for how it moves us, the emotions it can elicit. Awe, joy, a profound sense of peace and well being, tranquility.
As residents of the Sea to Sky Corridor, we are enveloped in beauty. It greets us as we round the corner from Horseshoe Bay and have the first glimpse of our very own fjord spread out in front of us. The Coastal Mountains and those fantastic Emily Carr trees provide the backdrop for this bewitching and unique waterway that accompanies us on our journey home. It never fails to soothe us as we drive, cycle, hike, walk, run and climb beside it, sail, kite-surf, kayak, canoe or row upon it and fish and swim in it. Each time we are on it, or beside it, our fjord it is different. Season, time of day, wind, rain, cloud, sunlight and moonlight provide us with an unending source of artwork from which to take pleasure.
When we hear of porpoises, sea lions and killer whales in our fjord, word travels like lightning in the news and on social media. We are proud that they visit, and we want to share our happiness and our profound sense of luck with all we know.
As a mountain ski host at Whistler, my guests never fail to mention the Sea to Sky drive to me. These guests are moneyed. They travel the world, and they seek out the best. They are blown away by our fjord.
As a climber in a climber’s campsite anywhere in the world, mention Squamish, and you have the attention of an international gathering of climbers. It’s not just the rock they have heard stories about or have fallen in love with. It is the setting, the vista of the fjord from the climbs that they will invariably cite.
An LNG plant does not belong on our fjord. The world is changing. Our appreciation of beauty remains constant. Opportunities to economically benefit from a world class waterway whose natural beauty is protected by a caring community are limitless.
We have it. Let’s hold it.
Nancy Henderson
Squamish
