EDITOR,
As a member of the Squamish climbing community since 1972, I read with interest your article on a proposal to build a tourist gondola leading to upper Shannon Creek ("'Sea to Sky Gondola' concept launched," Chief, July 1). As the article observed, considerably more information on the plans and their implications, and discussion of the pros and cons of the proposal, is needed before any decision is made. As the gondola would be in or adjacent to Stawamus Chief and Shannon Falls provincial parks, both of which are already heavily used, and would have substantial permanent effects, it and the developers' plans bear close scrutiny. The burden is on the developers to prove the wisdom of their plans, and address all related issues, within the context of what is required by the Parks Act and the interests of all British Columbians.
The article referred to "the Squamish Access Society (SAS), the climbing group that voiced strong opposition to the 2004 proposal." That is incorrect. The Climbers' Access Society of B.C. (the Access Society) led the successful opposition to the 2004 gondola proposal. The "Squamish Access Society" did not exist in 2004, or for a year or two afterward, when it was formed to represent local interests.
Your article also repeated the hoary myth that the Stawamus Chief is "the world's second largest granite monolith." Heaven knows where that fable came from, but there's no truth to it, and it's time to lay it to rest. There are giant granite peaks throughout the world which dwarf the Chief. In fjords up B.C.'s coast, on the northeast coast of Baffin Island, in Yosemite, in the Karakoram, in Antarctica, and elsewhere. Looking at it another way, would a geomorphologist - people who specialize in land forms - recognize the Chief in such a way? What exactly is a "monolith"? In the unlikely event that the Chief is the second-largest one in the world. What is the largest one, anyway?
The Chief is a very large rock, almost in a suburb of a large metropolitan area. It has high natural values, and offers extraordinary recreational opportunities, especially hiking, camping and climbing. B.C. Parks could do with more resources to manage it, and it is a place we all need to cherish. Our job is to provide wise stewardship, for ourselves and for those who will come after. As Mark Twain more or less observed, they aren't making any more of them.Anders I. OuromVancouver
Editor's note: The Chief acknowledges and regrets the error regarding the Climbing Society of B.C.'s opposition to the 2004 gondola proposal.
Also, a brief investigation of the claim that the Stawamus Chief is "the second largest granite monolith in the world" was inconclusive. We acknowledge that the claim is unsubstantiated and dependant on how one defines the word "monolith," which Wikipedia defines as "a geological feature such as a mountain, consisting of a single massive stone or rock, or a single piece of rock placed as, or within, a monument." The local mountain did not make the "10 largest monoliths in the world" (of any type of rock, we presume) that we were able to find. The sandstone Ayers Rock (Uluru) in Australia was listed as the largest.
