By Alison Taylor
Olympic organizers have been given the green light to build 25 kilometres of recreation legacy trails in the Callaghan Valley.
The approval was quietly posted on the provincial Environmental Assessment Office website this week, along with a series of commitments and assurances from the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Games (VANOC).
The decision marks the end of months of public input to the process in which a range of concerns were raised, such as the impact the trails would have on grizzly bears and questions surrounding the long-term vision for the area after the Games.
The additional 25 km of trails will be added to the competition trails at the $119 million Whistler Nordic Centre. They are to be one of the legacies of the 2010 Games.
“I think there’s been a lot of opportunity for people to participate and express their points of view (during the EA process),” said George McKay, VANOC’s director of environmental approvals. “Given that it’s a relatively small project we thought that it got a lot of attention and we thought that we did a good job in terms of answering the questions that were raised in that process.”
As a result of the EA process, VANOC has committed $100,000 to study grizzly bears in the area for three years — one third of what was requested of VANOC by the Ministry of Environment.
That shortfall, say some environmentalists, is not befitting an organizing committee promising to hold the most sustainable Games ever.
“I’m not disappointed the trails are going ahead,” said Councillor Eckhard Zeidler, who has advocated for more study on the grizzlies before moving ahead with construction.
“I’m disappointed that at a time when John Furlong (VANOC CEO) has just said their finances are in “very good shape” their contribution to studying the grizzlies and their habitat in the trails area is so much less than what is required to do the job right.”
McKay said VANOC is trying to manage its budgets — the budget for the trails is coming out of the $580 million venue budget — and is hoping its contribution can be used to leverage more funding.
“What we were able to do was to manage our budgets responsibly and hopefully create a situation whereby putting the $100,000 on the table… that that seed money will help us and the Ministry of Environment go out there and find other partners and bring more money to the table,” he said.
Provincial bear biologists found DNA evidence of grizzlies in the Callaghan in recent years, including four males and four females.
The proposed grizzly bear study, which would see three bears in the Callaghan radio collared and the continuation of small scale DNA/hair collection, is designed to build up the knowledge base of grizzly bears locations and understand the seasonal movements of the bears.
The data will provide the information needed for the long-term management of the recreation trail network.
Provincial bear biologist Tony Hamilton said VANOC has committed to help the ministry find money from other sources.
“We requested more money from them,” explained Hamilton this week, “but at the same time they proposed to help us find money and we’re taking that promise seriously and that’s why we’re meeting next week.”
Partnership projects, he added, make for stronger projects because it brings all the donors to the table with common goals.
Still, the decision not to fund the research in full doesn’t sit well with Joe Foy, national campaign director for the Western Canada Wilderness Committee (WCWC).
“I’m surprised they’re holding back so much when this should be one of the most important things that they do, not one of the least important things that they do,” said Foy.
Whistler council had asked VANOC to work with MoE, particularly in regards to mitigation efforts around the grizzlies.
Mayor Ken Melamed called the $100,000 contribution “significant.”
“VANOC has committed to working to mitigate the impacts and even though they’ve committed a certain level of funding to date, our assumption is that they would be responsible for complying with the management strategy proposed by the Ministry of Environment,” he added.
For cross-country enthusiasts, approval of the legacy trails comes as welcome news.
“Not only is it a good thing for people who like cross-country skiing… I think it’s a good thing for the community and the resort as a whole,” said Tom Barratt, president of the Whistler Nordics Ski Club.
The centre is set to become a national training centre, designed to bring athletes for training and competition. The legacy trails will be used to promote the area for recreation cross-country skiers.
“There’s a great interest in building the sport,” said Barratt. “It’s a good time to be a cross-country skier in Whistler.”
Squamish and Lil’wat First Nations also outlined their concerns about the trail development during the EA process.
Liz Jones, operations project manager for the Lil’wat Nation, said VANOC has committed to working through their concerns from pre-construction right through the construction phase of the trails.
VANOC has agreed not to begin construction on the trails until an archaeological impact assessment (AIA) has been completed.
“We’re just looking for archaeological sites with a certified archaeologist and a team from Lil’wat and Squamish,” said Jones, adding that the work has been held up because of the sheer amount of snow still on the ground.
The AIA will be completed in phases, depending on the rate of snowmelt but it is anticipated that the entire AIA will be finished by the end of July.
VANOC has also agreed not to seek to obtain rights to sell the timber removed during the clearing of the trails.
When asked if First Nations would pursue the rights to that timber, Jones said: “That’s still in discussions with Ministry of Forest.”
