TRAILS
BC TrailNewsletter of the Trails Society Talk of British Columbia Vol. 10 No. 1 — April 2005 www.trailsbc.ca
Contents Trails BC AGM 2005 at Greenwood May 13, 14 & 15. TCT Challenge Events Gain Momentum 2 British Columbian’s Support Metre Sales 3 Second Annual Kettle Valley Trail FUNdraising event… 4 Greenwood Services… 5 VI “Spirit of 2010” Trail update… 6 Myra Canyon Trestles update… 7 Help Wanted! 7 One Step at a Time… 8 Trails BC 2004-2005 Board… 8
Greenwood, B.C., the smallest city in Canada is on Highway 3, in the west Boundary Area of southern British Columbia. Incorporated in 1897, Greenwood was the hub of gold and ISSN 1705-4559 copper mining in the Boundary Country. Mining history, heritage buildings and industrial Published quarterly by: ruins form part of Greenwood's culture. Greenwood City Hall – photo by Ernie Hennig. Trails BC 315 – 1367 W. Broadway Information gathering and exchange weekend. Vancouver BC V6H 4A9 May 13 - 7:00 PM to ???? - Friday evening social - Greenwood Inn Saloon. Editorial Committee May 14 - 8:30 AM to 9:00 AM - Registration - Greenwood City Hall. Sue Burnham Murphy Shewchuk 202 S. Government Avenue - 9:00 AM to Noon - TrailsCanada & Spirit of 2010 update. - 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM - Trails BC Regional Update & Weed Control. - 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM - Guided Mountain Bike Tour. - 7:00 PM to ???? - No host dinner. May 15 - 9:00 AM to Noon - Annual General Meeting. For meals and accommodations, check out page 5: Bring your Mountain Bikes! On Saturday, Ernie Hennig will guide a tour of the Columbia & Western Railway Motherlode Spur to the Motherlode mine & Deadwood townsite.
1 TCT Challenge Events Gain Momentum Trail Talk: Vol. 10 No. 1 — April 2005 TCT Challenge Events Gain Momentum
TRAILS BC
The first of the British Columbia Trans Canada Trail Valley, will cover a route from Vedder Crossing in Challenges began with the opening of the trail in the Chilliwack to Douglas Taylor Park in Abbotsford on Coquihalla Canyon in 2003 and was followed in 2004 June 26. The second will be on July 10 from the Otter by an event to officially open the trail in the Chilliwack Valley near Brookmere to Princeton on the former River Valley. A total of more than 650 people Kettle Valley Railway grade. The events will be in two participated in the first two events. different Trails BC regions, the Southwest and Okanagan regions. In a single year we hope to have more participants than the two previous years combined. The full course of each event is between 52 and 55 km, with allowances for various shorter distances along the way. The level of difficulty for both courses will be much easier than the previous two years since they will be mainly on dikes or rail grade. Expect some climbing after the 24 km mark in the Central Fraser Valley event. On-line registration now available... Thanks to Trails BC’s initiative to provide online payment services, participants will be able to register and pay online. This should greatly facilitate the registration process. All the information will be on the Trails BC website (www.trailsbc.ca) for the Central Fraser Valley by February 1, and for the Brookmere to Cyclists on the Coquihalla Challenge. Photo by Murphy Shewchuk. Princeton event by March 1. The focus of the challenge events is to fulfill the spirit Volunteers & participants needed... of the Trans Canada Trail by being non-competitive We hope to see our members there in full force either and personally challenging; by appealing as volunteers or as participants. simultaneously to cyclists, walkers, runners and Southwest Region... equestrians; by providing educational opportunities Those who wish to volunteer for the Southwest Event through the assistance of an interpretive guide; by should contact Léon Lebrun at 604-942-6768 involving the communities along the trail; and by
2 B.C. Supports Metre Sales Trail Talk: Vol. 10 No. 1 — April 2005 British Columbian’s Support Metre Sales by Léon Lebrun The following tables representing the distribution of Trans Canada Trail (TCT) metre sales in B.C. names and messages in B.C. represent 14% of the national total. Yet B.C. makes up only 12% of the Canadian population. This figure is No. of Place in BC No. of Messages only surpassed by Alberta which has contributed 14% Names of the total with 9% of the national population. Abbotsford 426 15 According to the figures published on the Trans Canada Trail Foundation website, B.C. people have Burnaby 1449 50 contributed over $1.6M of the $12M total. In this Chilliwack 140 8 province more that 33,300 people have participated. Coquitlam 408 17 Included in this figure are 834 messages of various Fort Langley 2444 38 sizes. From this we can surmise that there is strong grassroots support for the Trail and the efforts that are Hope 900 22 being put into it. Maple Ridge 186 8 Thirteen pavilions... Nanaimo 2220 26 Also, in B.C., we have pavilions in13 locations and North Vancouver 1049 48 four more are in the wings. Ontario has 17 pavilions at Penticton 4123 138 this time. All the other provinces or territories have Vancouver 9581 268 four pavilions or less. Victoria 6868 196 Interestingly, in B.C. the whole effort is being TOTALS: 29794 834 spearheaded by a totally volunteer organization, Trails BC. Most other areas in Canada have volunteer groups Names still to be put up and included above. No. of 2005 Panel that are supported by government administrations that Place are often preoccupied by other mandates. names Unveilings Trails BC is a contributor to this Trans Canada Trail Abbotsford 162 11:00 AM June 25 support. It is active in publicizing the program and Burnaby 31 distributing its literature. Furthermore, the extra effort Chilliwack 8 to erect pavilions raises awareness of the TCT in these Coquitlam 113 11:00 AM July 16 communities. It in turn undoubtedly boosts metre sales. For each pavilion opening and panel unveiling Cranbrook 747 2:00 PM May 8 there is a dedication organized for the public. All of Fernie 311 2:00 PM May 7 this helps create additional excitement. We are also Fort Langley 268 11:00 AM May 28 now in the third year of the TCT Challenges in an Hope 21 effort to increase awareness even further. This year we Maple Ridge 27 are organizing the 3rd and 4th editions of this event. Nanaimo 196 New pavilions in eastern B.C. North Vancouver 57 In 2005 we are expecting pavilion openings for Penticton 91 Cranbrook and Fernie, with Trail and Grand Forks being considered in the future. Trail 810 Vancouver The task of establishing this Trail often appears 333 11:00 AM April 23 (Granville Island) overwhelming to those of us who are intimately involved. It helps to keep things in perspective as we Victoria 340 reflect on some of our accomplishments. TOTAL: 3515 For more information about BC Pavilions visit: www.trailsbc.ca/southwest_region/pavilions.asp MEMBERSHIPS AND DONATIONS CAN or NOW BE PROCESSED ON-LINE AT: visit the TCTF website at http://www.tctrail.ca/ to get WWW.TRAILSBC.CA information on the rest of Canada. 3 Kettle Valley Trail Cycle Tour Trail Talk: Vol. 10 No. 1 — April 2005 Second Annual Kettle Valley Trail FUNdraising event… by Murphy Shewchuk The challenge is made manageable by spreading the Trails BC, in cooperation with Great Explorations, is cycling part of the trip over a total of 13 days for those organizing the second annual KVR Tour. This who participate in the full adventure. Those who aren’t September, 2005 event that will have participants sure they can manage that much adventure or who cycling 650 km of the Trans Canada Trail through don’t have the available time can participate in one or southern British Columbia. more stages of the two-week trip. Stage 1, from Castlegar to Beaverdell, is six days including travel time. Stage 2, from Beaverdell to Coalmont, is also six days. Stage 3, from Coalmont to Hope, via the spectacular Coquihalla Canyon, is only four days, including travel time. The rewarding part of this special tour is both experiential and financial. Great Explorations has agreed to donate a significant portion of their normal fee to Trails BC to help fund Trans Canada Trail work across the province. It only seems fair that you, the paying participant, should reap the benefit of your efforts by receiving a tax-deductible receipt for your share of the donation. The charitable receipts will total $80.00 for each six-day section and $40.00 for the three-day section. Carlyle Norman on the former C&W Railway grade above September is an ideal time for a trip of this nature. Christina Lake - KVR Tour 2004. Photo by Murphy Shewchuk. The orchards and the wineries are at their best, making ‘living off the land’ more than just a cliché. The tragic fire that destroyed or damaged 14 of the Costs for each of the stages are as follows: Stage 1: 18 trestles in the Myra Canyon section of the Kettle CAD$695; Stage 2: CAD$695 Stage 3: CAD$345. Valley Trail in September 2003 prompted an Transportation to and from the start/finish of each outpouring of support for the trestles. Great stage is additional. Explorations approached Trails BC to create an event to raise awareness and funding to contribute to the Further information on the tour can be found at trestle rebuilding project and the continuing Trans http://www.trailsbc.ca/KVR_Tour_Overview.html. Canada Trail development. You can also contact: This tour will begin September 5th, with the bus trip Great Explorations to Castlegar, and end in Hope on September 18th. It #305-1510 West 1st. Ave., will retrace the century-old route of the Columbia and Vancouver, BC V6J 4S3 CANADA Western Railway and the Kettle Valley Railway, from Tel. 800.242.1825 — Tel. 604.730.1247 the heart of BC’s mining country to the banks of the Fax. 604.738.7655 Fraser River. Participants will have an opportunity to E-mail:
For more information on the Kettle Valley Trail Cycle Tour, view http://www.trailsbc.ca/KVR_Tour_Overview.html .
4 Greenwood Services… Trail Talk: Vol. 10 No. 1 — April 2005 Greenwood Services… by Ernie Hennig Saturday night Entertainment: While we are planning an informal Friday evening Dance at McArthur Centre “social” at the Greenwood Saloon, you are on your A Spring fund raiser for Spirit of Greenwood, and own as far as organized meals are concerned. Greenwood Board of Trade. Be forewarned, Greenwood restaurants close around Live band, local flavour, Barbecue Beef on bun at 9:00 P.M. If travelling from the west, Osoyoos, an hour midnight. west, and Kelowna, two hours northwest, are your last Ticket price approx. $15.00 per person. opportunities for food refuelling, before heading into Welcome to Our Cell Free Zone! Boundary Country. Or travel an extra half hour to Cell Phones WILL work in Grand Forks and Osoyoos, Grand Forks for a wide selection of fast food, etc. but selectively in Midway. Suggestions: Broadband Internet access, is available at the Welcome Home Tearoom has a Friday Night Roast Courthouse Sat/Sun, Museum Sat/Sun, Library Sat. Beef & Yorkshire pudding dinner for about $10.00 Accommodations: Anaconda Café – burgers fries. There are three motels in Greenwood: Greenwood Saloon, will host the meet and greet. Evening Star – 250.445.6733 The Udder Store’s No Name Café is having an all you Greenwood Motel and RV Park – 250.445.6363 can eat Spaghetti Feed, with Caesar Salad, coffee or tea and a dessert for $9.99. Boundary Creek Motel – 250.445.6641 Copper Eagle Cappuccino and Bakery – If you want Renaissance Bed & Breakfast cappuccino, you have to go to the Copper Eagle for it! 601 North Government Avenue Closed Sundays. Greenwood BC V0H 1J0 Tel: (250) 445-6590 Other eating locations E-mail: [email protected] Rock Creek: Web: http://www.renaissancebedandbreakfast.com/ Gold Pan Café There is also the Boundary Creek Provincial Park, three Cheshire's Family Restaurant kilometres south of town, and Jewel Lake Provincial Midway: Park about 15 kilometres north of Greenwood. Me and My Mom's Café Also at Jewel Lake is the Jewel Lake Resort, a rustic cabin, a café, boat rentals, with a nice campground. Jewel Lake Resort – Breakfast Lunch Dinner. •••
Trails BC AGM 2005 Registration Fees Saturday, May 14, 2005 - $15.00 Includes coffee and goodies, and a Japanese Bento Box Lunch. Sunday, May 15, 2005 - $10.00 Includes Sunday Buffet Brunch at the Welcome Home Tearoom. Reserve your place at the Saturday Night Spring Dance - $15.00. Visit www.trailsbc.ca for details
Thanks To The Bank of Montreal Life in the Trails BC office has recently been made considerably less stressful with the arrival of a new computer. The purchase of the computer was made possible with a $1,100 grant from the Bank of Montreal's Volunteer Grants Program. Through this program the Bank of Montreal provides funds to non-profit organizations that are supported, through volunteer efforts, by permanent and pensioned Bank of Montreal employees – in our situation, our treasurer Jack Harder.
5 V.I. “Spirit of 2010” Trail update… Trail Talk: Vol. 10 No. 1 — April 2005 V.I. “Spirit of 2010” Trail update… by Jeannette Klein Due to the Spirit of 2010 Rail Trail Program there has been a lot of activity on the rail trail in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. Except for the very onerous obstacle of the Kinsol trestle this 47km trail connects the south end of Shawnigan Lake to the village of Lake Cowichan. CVRD progress... Recently I had the happy task of accompanying Brian Farquhar, Parks Manager of the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) while he reviewed the CVRD progress on their trail with Blair Baldwin, project coordinator for this project and Renee Bernier, Western Diversification Administrator. Forest Ranger station moved... Renee Bernier and Brian Farquhar at the Lake Cowichan Gateway. Although an unusual amount of frost Photo courtesy of Jeannette Klein. this year has held up the project somewhat, the construction of a major Search for ‘missing link’... staging area near Duncan has begun. A former Forest Ranger station has been moved near the trail in Lake These improvements are timely as there is renewed Cowichan to serve as the Lake Cowichan Gateway – a activity in constructing the ‘missing link’ between the staging area and interpretive centre with local maps CVRD and the Capital Regional District (CRD). and information. Many culverts have been installed Consultants were due to start in early March, to and many more are waiting to be done. A huge pile of provide detailed route options through the private pathway mix sits in a gravel pit near the trail waiting property connecting the two Regional Districts. The for the weather to warm a bit before distribution. The study is to be completed by the end of June so the trail resurfacing and information are especially process of land acquisition (funds available from trail welcomed. relocation settlement with the CRD) can begin. Kinsol Trestle reconstruction $3.1 million... The Regional District of Nanaimo and the CVRD are actively working to complete the trail connection The Cowichan Valley Regional District had more between their trail sections; this will require good news in a favourable economic impact study on involvement of both private and public landowners to the reconstruction of the Kinsol trestle. They hope to secure the trail corridor. raise a large amount of the $3.1 million cost through a private society. •••
Notice of Temporary Trail Closures - Extension Ridge Trail Weyerhaeuser Canada Ltd. has advised that harvesting will commence on their private lands in the vicinity of the Extension Ridge portion of the Trans Canada Trail, starting in late March 2005. No harvesting will occur within the Trans Canada Trail corridor. However due to the proximity of the harvesting, the trail will be closed on a temporary basis from time to time. Harvesting may continue into late May 2005 or beyond. To guarantee your safety, and to ensure that public access over private land can be quickly reinstated, please obey all trail closure signs. Regional District of Nanaimo and Trails BC
6 Myra Canyon update… Trail Talk: Vol. 10 No. 1 — April 2005 Myra Canyon Trestles update… by Murphy Shewchuk August 26, 2004: Funding Announced for Trestles The long-awaited announcement on the funding came at a ceremony attended by Premier Campbell, Senator Ross Fitzpatrick, and several other local dignitaries. Costs for the total replacement and repair of all destroyed and damaged trestles will be covered up to 90% by the federal disaster relief program, and the remaining 10% by the provincial government. This cost is estimated at $13.5 million. Completion of the reconstruction project is planned for the year 2007. November 18, 2004: Trestle #18 Contract Awarded A contract worth $350,000 has been awarded to Surespan Construction to rebuild Trestle #18. Work is scheduled to start by the end of this week. Myra Canyon Trestle #18 - early January, 2005. Photo by Klaus Gattner - West Canada Bike Tours. Reconstruction of Trestle 18 was completed about a week before Christmas, 2004. March 15, 2005: Design Engineer and Project Help Wanted! Manager Selected Bookkeeping Assistant Earth Tech (Canada) Inc., of Kelowna, has been Our treasurer, Jack Harder, needs assistance with selected as the Design Engineer for the remaining Trails BC’s routine bookkeeping. Phone (604) trestles to be replaced. Katim Enterprises, of Kelowna, 936-8197 or e-mail
Fill in and return to: Trails BC Membership Application 315 - 1367 West Broadway VANCOUVER BC V6H 4A9 Name of Individual, Group or Associate: Phone: Mailing Address: Fax: City / Province: Renewal: Yes No Postal Code: Contact Name: Individual ($25.00): ______E-mail Address: Group ($100.00): ______May we e-mail you our Trail Talk Newsletter? Yes _____ No _____ Associate ($100.00): ______Applicant's primary activities: Donation: ______Associates and Groups: May we post your listing on the Trails BC Website? Total Enclosed: ______Yes _____ No _____ How many members do you represent? The Trails Society of British Columbia (Trails BC) is a registered not-for-profit society. [ Please complete reverse. ]
7 Back to Business Trail Talk: Vol. 10 No. 1 — April 2005 One Step at a Time… By Murphy Shewchuk Progress is slower in the eastern half of the province The question of Trans Canada Trail progress comes as we work with a consultant to define a route across up from both outside and inside Trails BC. With this several mountain passes. Q&A approach, I will attempt to answer a couple of Can I ride my bicycle on the Trans Canada the questions that come up in various forms. Trail from Victoria to Alberta? What is happening with the TCT in BC? This is closely related to the first question. Aside As you will note elsewhere in this issue and on the from the obvious ferry ride from Nanaimo to Trails BC website, real progress is being made in Horseshoe Bay, much of the route from Victoria to western British Columbia. Tourism BC, in partnership Castlegar is do-able and will be even better by the end with various municipalities and regional districts, the of the summer. There are gaps on Vancouver Island Trans Canada Trail Foundation and Trails BC, has that require road or street riding. There are sections in spearheaded a multimillion dollar program to upgrade the Lower Mainland that will always be “urban”. several abandoned rail grades that make up various From Hope to Castlegar, the route is primarily rail portions of the Trans Canada Trail from Castlegar grade with a few notable exceptions. Bridges are west to Brookmere, and on Vancouver Island. This needed in the Coquihalla and Coldwater valleys and work includes upgrading trail, decking trestles, alternate routes are used in the south Okanagan to installing trailheads, parking areas and signage. bypass an active railway and other alienated land.
Trails BC 2004-2005 Board… President: Regional Directors: West Kootenay: Provincial Office: Murphy Shewchuk Vancouver Island: Raymond Gaudart Trails BC Vice President: Jeannette Klein East Kootenays / Rocky 315 – 1367 W. Broadway Sherman Olson Southwest: Mountains: Vancouver BC V6H 4A9 Treasurer: Léon Lebrun Al Skucas Jack Harder Okanagan: Northeast: Tel: (604) 737 3188 Secretary: William “Pim” Meere Jack Gladysz Fax: (604) 738 7175 Sue Burnham Boundary: Director-at-Large: Ernie Hennig Email: [email protected] Chris Moslin Web Site: www.trailsbc.ca
For on-line membership forms and information, visit http://www.trailsbc.ca/membership.html .
Payment Method: ___ Cheque; ___ Money Order; ___ Credit Card (___ VISA - ___ MasterCard) Card No.: ______Name on Card: ______Signature: ______Date: ______
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Please tick the activities you are willing to help with: ___ Trail building labour. ___ Trail building equipment. ___ Trail mapping. ___ Trail maintenance. ___ Trail user programming. ___ Fundraising. ___ Administration. ___ Member services. ___ Organizing Events. ___ Public relations. ___ Training. ___ Presentations to groups.
------A charitable tax receipt will be issued for donations and membership fees. Memberships are valid from January 1st to December 31st. Note: Applications received July 1 or later will be enrolled until December 31 of the following year. ------Trails BC website:http://www.trailsbc.ca [ Please complete reverse. ] Office: [ ] Secretary: [ ] Card sent: [ ]
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