A Squamish petition is urging the provincial and federal governments to guarantee access to the Squamish Spit, a windsports launching site that is expected to be altered as part of a salmon conservation effort.
As of press deadline, over 2,000 people have signed the document, which calls on elected officials to guarantee access to the Spit, also known as the training berm.
The petition, which is addressed to MLA Jordan Sturdy and MP Patrick Weiler, was started by kiteboarder Rebecca Aldous.
She told The Chief that what she’s looking for is guaranteed access to the area, as well as financial help to ensure that potential access amenities, such as walkways or even water taxis are paid for.
Currently, the windsports launching site at the Spit is accessible by foot or vehicle, but that may change as the Spit undergoes changes as part of the Central Estuary Restoration Project, or CERP.
The project is headed by the Squamish River Watershed Society with the assistance of the Squamish Nation and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Fish conservation
In 2019, this project began a multi-phased effort to alter the Squamish Spit. At first, this involved installing culverts in the structure to allow salmon to pass from the Squamish River to the estuary.
Conservationists say allowing young salmon to pass through the area currently blocked by the Spit will give fry the chance to mature in the estuary and increase their survival rates.
Currently, the Spit is prematurely funneling the fish from the Squamish River into Howe Sound, which makes it harder for them to survive.
Fisheries and Oceans statistics show chinook salmon populations plummeted to 6,000 from 19,000 after the Spit was built in the 1970s for a coal port that never materialized.
As part of the next phase of the project, conservationists aim to alter the structure to allow for the fish to move between the two areas more freely.
This alteration has often been described as a “realignment,” but details on exactly what that looks like have not been finalized.
Some kiteboarders fear changes may take away their ability to reach their favourite launching spot.
“What’s at stake is access,” said Aldous.
“Kiters don’t have a problem with any of the proposals that are being made to enhance the environment, but we do want assurance that we get access and that whatever plan comes up is viable,” she said. “Right now, there’s a few plans on the table and we just want to ensure that whatever plan that moves forward, it’s viable for everyone.”
She said she’s worried that the project might take away access to the Spit and leave it to the kiting community to find alternate ways to get to the launch at their expense.
She is hoping for guaranteed access and financial support, such as grants.
That’s because if the middle of the Spit is removed entirely, a water taxi could be the only way to reach the launch site, which is just south of where the vehicle roundabout lies, Aldous said.
There would still be costs associated with an alternative plan, which involves building a berm from 3rd Avenue to the launch site.
A walkway would need to be built on top of that berm, Aldous said.
Furthermore, because access to the berm would likely cross train tracks, a railway crossing would also need to be established, which could cost thousands.
Watersports Society
The Squamish Windsports Society, though it was not involved with the creation of the petition, took note of the support the movement has received.
“We are encouraged by the support from the kiteboarding community for the Spit—kiteboarders from around the world have reached out to us as a result of the petition, and it clearly shows that this is a unique and loved location,” said Geoffrey Waterson, the president of the society, in an emailed statement.
He said while much is unknown, the ultimate Spit proposal appears to involve the removal of a one-kilometre section of the Spit road between the kiteboarding turn-around and the yellow gate.
This would sever the launching site, thus turning it into an island.
Waterson said this would help improve the salmon fry population, but would eliminate easy access for windsports users and could create financial pressure for the society.
In the meantime, the windsports society is applying for grants, Waterson said.
“Ultimately, some form of berm or walkway from 3rd Ave near the Terminals will provide a true win-win-win scenario for all stakeholders, however, unfortunately, the funding deadlines that are driving the CERP project are preventing this from happening in the near future, but this will remain a long term focus for the SWS,” Waterson said.
Watershed Society
The Squamish River Watershed Society released a statement on March 3 saying that it is “focused on maintaining recreational access as a part of the CERP planning with the Squamish Windsport Society and will continue to engage in this process.”
Edith Tobe, executive director of the Watershed Society, told The Chief her society doesn’t have a formal statement on the petition. “The District of Squamish has taken a role of facilitating discussion regarding the Central Estuary Restoration Project with the Squamish Windsports Society and they have had several meetings to date, so we would rely on the District to issue a formal response to the community,” Tobe said.
In terms of the project itself, Tobe repeated past statements that the project “was developed in partnership with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Squamish Nation to restore chinook habitat to the Squamish Estuary,” she said.
“The importance of chinook habitat isn’t just because they have been in decline and they are an important species in and of themselves, but they are also crucial for the future of the health of the south coast resident killer whale population and our project is extremely important to the success over all of the Salish Sea chinook salmon stocks.”
She reiterated the project was developed in partnership with the Windsports Society, the District of Squamish, Squamish Terminals and other project partners.
She said they have been in discussions with the Windsports Society since 2017 and meet with them on a regular basis.
“We just met with them on Feb. 28 for an all-day discussion in which we [received] invaluable input and there is absolutely no way that we would move forward in any direction without getting full input from all the stakeholders and user groups,” she said.
District of Squamish
Mayor Karen Elliott told The Chief in an emailed statement that the CERP project team is exploring the technical feasibility of the island option, and the Windsports Society and the District have been discussing interim and long-term ways to provide access options for windsports in this scenario.
No option has been finalized at this point, Elliott said.
She added that a collaborative approach has been taken between all parties involved.
“At the heart of the District’s involvement is how we collectively commit to furthering Squamish’s environmental goals, while recognizing that windsports is an important part of our community and our outdoor recreation tourism brand, and that accommodations need to be made to ensure access,” said Elliott. “At the same time, the broader windsports community needs to understand that they too will have to accommodate change in how they access the current launch site. This is very much an ongoing conversation.”
MLA and MP respond
MLA Jordan Sturdy did not say he supported the petition, but rather said he supported “the industry” of windsports.
However, he said it’s unlikely the province would support the maintenance of the Spit as it is.
“It’s unlikely that the province would spend any money on that training berm going forward, because it doesn’t serve any purpose, at least other than for the windsports and, potentially, for some sedimentation for the port,” said Sturdy.
He added in the long term, the Spit will likely degrade to the point that it doesn’t exist due to the current of the river.
“The hydraulic effects are too big. I just can’t see [the Spit] lasting forever, so I think we’ve got to start planning for some other way for [windsports] to continue,” Sturdy said.
The office of MP Patrick Weiler issued an email statement to The Chief acknowledging the importance of kiteboarding but did not say if he supported the petition.
“It is important that we move forward in a way that respects everyone’s objectives,” reads the email. “As the Watershed Society has stated previously, the partners are working together on the concerns raised in the petition to find a solution that works for all parties.”
Squamish Terminals, which has also been part of the talks around the Spit realignment, issued a statement to The Chief as well.
“As a key stakeholder, Squamish Terminals is involved in ongoing dialogue about the future of the Squamish Spit, and there is inclusive community stakeholder engagement working towards a viable option,” reads the statement. “The Squamish Spit is a complex issue (removal is not a foregone conclusion) that requires further analysis and a master plan, all of which takes time, collaboration and is being worked on.”
~With files from Jennifer Thuncher
