Tria Donaldson: Urban sprawl threatens Juan de Fuca Marine Trail on Vancouver Island
There is always one place that is special to each of us, that forms our initial love and connection to the natural world. For me that place was, and continues to be the wild beaches of Vancouver Island’s west coast.
Growing up on the Island, I was a frequent visitor to the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. Located just kilometres outside of Victoria, the sandy beaches and deep forest canopy introduced me, and many others my age, to the beauty and power of the North Pacific Ocean and its coastal communities. Now the place that gave me my first taste of wilderness is under threat.
The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail curves along a 47-kilometre section of the wild west coast. The trail traverses remote beaches with rolling waves and some of the last remaining intact old-growth forests on Vancouver Island. Over 300,000 tourists hike this trail every year, infusing the local economy with sustainable dollars and exposing British Columbians and tourists to special wild places. Places like China and Sombrio beaches draw surfers, hikers, and day-trippers to our pristine coast year-round.
The park was originally created as part of the Commonwealth Nature Legacy in honour of Victoria hosting the 1994 Commonwealth Games. The government of the day had the foresight to want to preserve the natural beauty and ecological values of the area, and ensure that people would be able to access the site well into the future.
Now the same iconic beauty that attracts the visitors by the thousands is now attracting a different type of interest from Vancouver-based development barons.
West Vancouver developer Ender Ilkay and Marine Trail Holdings want to build nearly 300 vacation homes within viewing of the public trail. The proposal calls for tree line “trimming” to ensure ocean views for the new homeowners. Increased septic fields, road expansion, logging, access points, and a minimum 12-year construction period are added bonuses to the project.
The proposal will impact 17 kilometres of the actual trail, and pour concrete over some of the most beautiful wild places in the name of ever-encroaching urban sprawl.
The current proposal will destroy the vision behind the park, and open the forestlands around the Juan de Fuca to rampant development. Over 132,000 hectares of the former tree farm licence land around Victoria has been designated as rural resource land. The original premise of the zoning called for wilderness and recreation uses—not settlement. Allowing this project to go forward will open a floodgate for new development that will reach far beyond the scope of the one project currently on the table.
Understandably, local citizens are up in arms about this project. Hundreds of letters in opposition to this project have already poured in, and room after room has been full of people saying no to the project.
Up to this point, the concerns about the project have fallen on deaf ears. In early March, local government will move ahead with the approval process as they host a night of public consultation at Edward Milne secondary school in Sooke. As this is an issue that clearly impacts us all, I encourage everyone to attend this valuable meeting.
The future of this park cannot simply be viewed as an issue for the residents of southern Vancouver Island. The rolling hills, rocky beaches, and towering trees are a valuable public asset held in trust for all of us to enjoy.
One of the things that makes B.C. special is our world-class parks system, and the stunning wilderness areas it protects. From Strathcona to Golden Ears Provincial Park, B.C.’s parks draw visitors from around the world and infuse local communities with tourism dollars. We need to ensure that our parks remain intact, and whole. We need to be expanding our network of protected areas, not eroding it with excessive proposals like this one.
Tria Donaldson is a youth climate activist who has been involved with the goBeyond project, the Sierra Youth Coalition, and the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition. She is currently the Pacific coast campaigner for the Wilderness Committee.
Comments
11 Comments
naikoon
Feb 21, 2011 at 11:07pm
Victoria Rally Feb 23rd, facebook event: Don't Fuca Up the Trail
Zachary Doeding
Feb 22, 2011 at 10:50am
Actually, the Juan De Fuca Trail was created by a couple of good new Democrats, Moe Sihota and Al Jones in order to provide economic stimulus for the area, similar to the Tofino-Ucluelet/Pacific Rim Park model. Those towns have prospered and grown from that relationship and that is the goal here as well. Imagine if all the accomodation had been banned in Tofino and you had to drive from Port Alberni to go to Long Beach. The development will make more of the trail accessible to people of all age groups and physical abilities to enjoy, and not just the uber-hikers from the 3-5 cars parked along the road at the old gravel pit on a weekend.
You can bet that in the future it will be your generation that ends up using these cabins the most as this development draw visitors from around the world and infuses the local communities with tourism dollars. The local surfing club supports it, as does the local Pacheedaht first nation council, and small time loggers who will mill the lumber. So do the communites of Sooke and Port Renfrew.
This development will not "open the forestlands around the Juan de Fuca to rampant development" as your error-filled, cut and paste article suggests; this is the only private land along the trail. Until the province steps up to build campgrounds at Sombrio beach and Parkinson creek (would you oppose those too?) this is our chance for better access.
Whether it is attractions like the newly created Circle Route, or the preservation of old growth like Avatar Grove, and the as yet little known “Little Carmanah” nearby this project, responsible stewardship of the trail area will provide jobs in the future. And eco-sensitive projects like this which improve access and preserve 85% of the trees forever are as “value-added” as it gets.
Ian Hart
Feb 22, 2011 at 11:53am
I ´ve hiked this trail a few times and I can honestly say that those experiences changed my life. They offered me challenge, wilderness, perspective on society and nature, and moments of beauty that will stay with me forever. All this only a short drive from Victoria, and it is the accesibility of this trail that made these experiences possible to a young man without a personal car and without a lot of money. The spirit of BC requires experiences like this to shape our culture and allow that connection to the wild that makes BC and its peoiple so unique. There is too much at risk for this development and others like it to continue.
Mike D
Feb 22, 2011 at 1:03pm
From what I've seen at the public meetings so far, the communities of Sooke, Port Renfrew and Jordan River do NOT support this either. The last meeting saw about 80 people speak out against it (including Pacheedaht first nations elders), and only 4 people speak in favour of the project. One of those in favour was the developer himself.
Everyone who feels so strongly about this should attend the next public information meeting, 7 pm March 3 at Edward Milne school in Sooke
Rosemary
Feb 22, 2011 at 2:42pm
Zachary sounds like he's a developer too.
Oh wait, he's developing his own property in the area right now.
Zachary Doeding
Feb 22, 2011 at 5:47pm
Rosemary ,
Since you have chosen to publish my familys' personal information, why don't you put your last name up here so we know who you are?
Just so everyone knows, i am not a developer..i am a janitor.
Yes , we are sub-dividing our property to provide for our family and our own future. We met all the requirements of our settlement area and Official Community Plan and our application was supported a margin of 10 to 1 (79 to 12 submissions) in our community.
But your low blow misrepresentation and making it personal and some how outing my family should serve to show readers just how slimy you are when someone has a different opinion than yours.
Peter Martin
Feb 22, 2011 at 6:25pm
Rosemary: no need to get into personalities. Let the argument play out on its merits. And on the merits, I am comfortable with the proposal. It will allow a broader spectrum of folks to explore the area. And it is, after all, private land. Purists may not like that, but it is the case. I think the owner has made ample concessions to preserve the ambience of the trail. And the proposed cabins are only on a small portion of the trail's length. Nothing but an absolute freeze will satisfy Mike D. But in the end, the decision will be made by the elected local representatives. I hope they say yes.
Bobby Darrin
Feb 24, 2011 at 10:51am
Zachary have you ever even hiked that trail?
if so what made you so miserable as to wish destruction on it?
your attitude, will bring you great pain and misery in your life.
and next time something really shitty happens to you.
I can guarantee you its karma
Just Ice
Feb 25, 2011 at 11:30pm
Anyone who proposes to destroy our world class trail should be immediately put in jail. For they are a serious threat to the future of our country. I will not stand for this terrorism on our environment
KevinW
Mar 2, 2011 at 11:34am
This is not what the area needs, nor what the local citizens want. This is pure greed, plain and simple. Someone saw a chance to make a buck, and jumped. No good will come of this except more destruction of our natural beauty that makes the Island such a special place. adding lodging is one thing. adding a 300+ cabin luxury resort in unspoiled, undeveloped beauty is just plain ridiculous and a symptom of our profit-crazy world.
There are so many better things that could be done with this land!!