A Sea to Sky corridor dream that has been more than a decade in the making received a significant boost this week with the announcement of a $300,000 grant in support of the Sea to Sky Trail project.
The grant from the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation (WBF), which is to be spread over five years, was hailed as a milestone in the trail effort's history by Whistler Councillor Gordon McKeever, chair of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District's (SLRD) Sea to Sky Trail Standing Committee.
"It's exciting," McKeever said of the trail effort on Tuesday (Aug. 2). "In sustainability terms, it's such a terrific project - there are economic and certainly social benefits, not to mention the environmental benefits of having self-propelled transportation options out there, both for recreation and for transportation."
Ross Kirkwood and Mike Manheim conceived the Sea to Sky Trail idea in the early 1990s. The idea is to create a contiguous trail covering 150 kilometres from the Squamish waterfront to D'Arcy.
The grant comes on the heels of the SLRD's selection of a consultant, Cascade Environmental Resource Group Ltd., to create a trail Master Plan. The $20,000 cost of the plan is to be funded primarily by the SLRD with help from the District of Squamish and the Resort Municipality of Whistler.
The grant stipulates that the foundation is a "founding sponsor" of the trail effort. The money, the first of which will be delivered on receipt of a master plan and budget, must be used for trail construction, not operational costs.
Trail advocate Squamish Councillor Ray Peters is on the committee pushing for the finalization of the trail and he said the WBF grant is to be spread over five years. The trail effort will have a funding foundation over the next five years. McKeever acknowledged that it will take between $3 million and $3.5 million to complete the project.
"It's (the grant) a good solution because it ensures us a good financial base over a long period of time, but not so much that we don't have to get out there and continue trying to get funding," he said."It gives us a good base of time during which to build momentum."
While the trail is to make use of existing trails McKeever said trail supporters are working to see construction on the first new stretch of trail begin next April. The most likely candidate area is the stretch between the Paradise Valley and the Cheakamus Canyon, he said.
The minimum standard for the Sea to Sky Trail is a two-metre-wide gravel path.
McKeever said the cost of building such a trail is estimated at $20,000 per kilometre.
In a statement, trail backers announced that a community engagement process would take place in September and October. The engagement includes initial consultations with the N'Quatqua, Lil'wat and Squamish First Nations, public presentations in Whistler, Pemberton, Squamish and D'Arcy and presentations to municipal and regional leaders.
McKeever said First Nations involvement is considered a key component of the trail effort. He said the trail standing committee hopes to include membership from the three First Nations in the near future."First Nations are significant stakeholders in this type of land use," McKeever said. "We hope to engage them early in the process of design, construction and maintenance, and we hope that they can share in the economic, social and environmental benefits that the trail brings.
"I see an opportunity to showcase First Nations culture through this program, and through signage programs, we want to highlight historical, geographic and cultural features of the area."
McKeever said the proposed Friendship Trail that would link Pemberton and Mount Currie would be an important segment of the larger trail. He said such stretches of trail could be "double-branded" as both the Friendship and Sea to Sky trails, for example.
In addition to the community engagement process, McKeever said trail backers see the effort going forward on three separate fronts simultaneously between now and next spring: The Master Plan, approvals for the Paradise Valley-to-Cheakamus Canyon routing, and fundraising.
While he said support from the federal and provincial governments will be sought, the support of local foundations and businesses was considered key in establishing that strong local support exists.
"We wanted to get buy-in locally before taking things to Victoria or Ottawa," McKeever said.
The Master Plan, he said, will serve not only as a guideline for future trail efforts but also as a marketing tool to solicit the support of individuals and communities.
The plan is to break down the corridor into "character sections." Rather than flag an exact route on each section, stakeholders will look at the feasibility of different routes before settling on one. Eventually, a database on each one will be placed on a publicly accessible website.
"This 'geospacial database' would be delivered embedded in a GIS-based digital map," trail backers said in a statement. "This map would form the backbone of both the technical planning resources as well as the publicly accessed website.
The database will guide development of the trail "section by section, as opportunity allows," the statement says. "The Master Plan will also articulate the environmental, social and economic benefits of the trail."
Added McKeever, "We've been working for a couple of years to get to this point where we can engage the public with a solid strategy."
Peters said the trail vision for Squamish is to make the community known as mile zero of the Sea to Sky Trail.
"It will go from the waterfront to Anderson Lake, from water to water," said Peters. "We'll be at the end of a small rainbow or jackpot that will help to increase tourism and increase the number of sporting events."
He envisions the trail going along a waterfront board walk to the proposed trail beside Highway 99 to Depot Road so the trail can link into the Cheekye Fan trails on the way into the Cheakamus Canyon.He sees the trail helping to diversify the local economy by drawing tourists and he also believes the trail will offer a great recreational opportunity for the people of Squamish in their own region.
