Editor,
I am very disappointed with rumours that logging will claim the famous Powerhouse Plunge trail. I have been riding the trails in Squamish for 15 years and like many bikers, runners and hikers in Squamish, I think this is the best place to ride/hike/run in the world, and I chose to live here because of trails like the Powerhouse Plunge.
It seems that every time I go riding I see signs of future logging projects on some of the most-used designated trails in Squamish. Powersmart, Dead End loop, Another Man's Gold, and now the Plunge. People all over the globe consider Squamish to be one of the best places to ride in the world. But people don't come here to ride through cutblocks, they come to ride in amongst the tall beautiful trees of the rainforest.
Mountain biking is, and should continue to be one of the biggest tourist draws in the Sea to Sky corridor. It is an asset that brings people into Squamish. They participate in our events, shop at the local shops and boutiques, drink coffee at our cafés, eat in our restaurants, drink beer in our pubs. I am certain that preserving mountain bike trails in Squamish will do far more for the economy here than logging will.
Forestry has proven unsustainable given past methods of logging and I suspect they are logging areas so close to Squamish because there is little left to log outside of the municipal boundary.
The legacy of Squamish's trails is sought after by many and is good for our diverse economy, our culture and our "brand" as the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada. Logging these trails and eliminating them from being will stop people from coming here.
John Irvine
Squamish
Fire volunteers go above and beyond
Editor,
Some of you may be aware that April 17-25, 2005 is Volunteer Week. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Squamish Fire Rescue Volunteer Fire Fighters.
I would like to bring your attention to what these guys (and girls) go through week after week. Please bear in mind that these men and women are husbands and wives; they have jobs and children and lives like you and me.
However, they are routinely pulled from their lives into the lives of others' trauma and pain and suffering, night after night. Can you imagine what the mind and body must endure to be in a warm bed, sound asleep, and in a matter of minutes be at the scene of a highway fatality?
It is a scene where people are bleeding and dying on the gravel on the side of the road. All these men can do is hope to find someone alive, then it will be worthwhile. If they are lucky there will be enough hours before sunrise that they can get some sleep before going off the their "real" job.
Others won't sleep, they will lie awake with visions of smashed glass, red flashing lights, sirens and cries of anguish.
"Was there something else I could have done?"
Probably not, but the doubt is there. This is what we ask of volunteers.
They go above and beyond and I can think of no other profession where we ask volunteers to perform such dangerous, stressful and challenging work out of the kindness of their heart.
Most of us consider volunteering to serve soup at the Soup Kitchen an inconvenience.
Linda Morrison
Squamish
