Trails BC Newsletter February 2007 edition

1. Newsletter of the Trails Society of British Columbia
Vol. 12 No. 2 — April 2007
www.trailsbc.ca
Contents AGM 2007: Summerland May 5th & 6th.
AGM 2007: Summerland
May 5th & 6th. 1
North Shore Challenge
June 24, 2007 2
Member Profile 2
Rails to Trails Progress in
the Rockies 3
Trans Canada Trail
Foundation AGM 4
The Victoria – Cowichan
Valley Link 5
Trail Society Reports 6
The Kinsol Trestle Debate -
Rehabilitate or Rebuild? 7
Renew Your Membership 8
The historic 188-metre-long, 73-metre-high Trout Creek Bridge, in the heart of Summerland,
Trails BC 2006-2007 is considered by many to be the highest on the Kettle Valley Railway and one of the highest
Board… 8 in North America. Photo by Murphy Shewchuk
Volunteers Essential for Saturday, May 5th.
Trail Survival! 8
Summerland Municipal Hall, 13211 Henry Avenue.
8:30 - 09:15 Opening Remarks
Marilyn Hansen, President: Summerland Trans Canada Trail Society
ISSN 1705-4559
Dr. David Gregory - Mayor of Summerland - Summerland Historic Trails
Published quarterly by: 09:15 - 10:00 Dr. Maurice Williams - UBC Kelowna - Early KVR History.
Trails BC 10:00 - 10:15 Coffee Break.
315 – 1367 W. Broadway
10:15 - 11:00 Ken Campbell - Myra Canyon Restoration Society -Trestle Rebuild.
Vancouver BC V6H 4A9
Editorial Committee 11:00 - 12:00 Bill Marshall - MTSA - British Columbia Trail Strategy.
Murphy Shewchuk 12:00 - 13:00 Lunch
Sue Burnham
13:00 - 14:00 James Clark - Director of Trails - Trans Canada Trail Foundation.
Léon Lebrun
14:00 - 15:00 Al Skucas - Trails BC Rockies Region Director - Rockies News.
15:00 - 15:15 Coffee
15:15 - 16:30 Regional Directors Update
Sunday May 06, 2007
Summerland Municipal Hall, 13211 Henry Avenue.
09:00 - 12:00 Trails BC Annual General Meeting
Visit the Trails BC website at www.trailsbc.ca for additional information.
Advance Registration Required: Forms at www.trailsbc.ca.
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2. North Shore Challenge - June 24, 2007 Trail Talk: Vol. 12 No. 2 — April 2007
North Shore Member Profile
Challenge
June 24, 2007
WildWays Adventure Sports is a full service shop
nestled in the Monashee Mountains at Christina Lake.
WildWays offers a great range of amenities such as a
large parts inventory — with qualified and friendly
mechanics always on hand — and rental bikes and
By Léon Lebrun child trailers. They also rent kayaks and canoes to
enjoy BC's favourite lake, and offer guided kayaking
This year there will be only one challenge event to be
trips on the Kettle River for all levels of paddlers.
held in the Southwest Region. The venue is the Greater
Vancouver North Shore with an option to include the
Trans Canada Trail route through the City of
Vancouver. As usual participants will be able to choose
their mode of travel (cycle, walk, or run) and the
distance travelled (between 9 and 61 km). A great
variety of trail experiences are in the offering including
mountain and urban trails sprinkled with natural and
heritage features all the way along.
WildWays also offers transportation assistance for
self-guided bike tours with a 15 seater van, as well as a
variety of guided day tours on the Kettle Valley
Rail-Trail and the Columbia & Western Rail-Trail
sections of the Trans Canada Trail. Sections of the
trail, such as Eholt to Grand Forks, or the Paulson to
Christina segment, are some of the easiest and most
popular rides around; downhill all the way and superb
scenery with trestles and tunnels.
The shop is open 7 days a week in the summer
months, and is located on the east side of Christina
Lake just 10 minutes from the Christina Lake-to-
Visit the Trails BC website (http://www.trailsbc.ca) Castlegar section of the Trans Canada Trail.
and sign-up right away. We have quite a following that
see it as a great way to discover the trail. Bob & Lucinda Dupee
••• WildWays Adventure Sports
Highway 3 at Johnson Road
Christina Lake, BC, Canada V0H 1E2
ACCEPT THE TRAILS BC CHALLENGE Phone/Fax: 250.447.6561
Additional Information and sign-up Toll Free: 1.888.WILDWAY (945.3929)
forms are available on-line at: Email: adventures@wildways.com
WWW.TRAILSBC.CA Web: http://www.wildways.com
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3. Rails to Trails in the Rockies… Trail Talk: Vol. 12 No. 2 — April 2007
Rails to Trails Progress in the Rockies
By Al Skucas
The last year saw the TCT gain traction in the
Rockies/East Kootenay. Much excitement has been
generated over the potential rail to trails project
between Kimberley and Cranbrook. The model for this
project is somewhat different than in other parts of the
province. In this instance the province is not taking a
leading role in the development of the rail trail but the
communities of Kimberley and Cranbrook themselves
will be spearheading the project. Although this
endeavour will be become part of the province’s Spirit
of 2010 Rails to Trails legacy, the two communities
will control the development.
In a Memorandum of Understanding signed in
September between the two communities and CP Rail,
CP Rail will donate the line to Kimberley and
Cranbrook. CP Rail has agreed to remove the steel rails
by the end of this year. Also a big concern has been Coming into Wycliffe on the Cranbrook-Kimberley rail line.
Photo by Bob Whetham
alleviated with CP Rail taking responsibility for
removing the contaminated float rock that had been
used for ballast on the line. It is estimated that CP rail
will be hauling out over 15,000 truckloads of the in Eastern BC they should generate the most
ballast over the next year and a half. Estimated cost for recreational traffic along the route.
this work is between two and three million dollars. Last year also marked the first year in five years that
Details on the final governance and stewardship of TCT trail has seen trail registered in the Rockies with
the rail trail are currently been explored by the two the registration of the trail through the City of
cities, the regional district and affected stakeholders. Kimberley. Fourteen kilometres of trail will wind its
way through the community from the Riverside
Campground on the west side through the Kimberley
Nature Park to the Platzl. The Platzl is a pedestrian
mall that is the heart of Kimberley, from there the trail
will follow the Mark Creek Trail to Marysville.
With the announcement that the TCT foundation will
be proceeding with the official BC guidebook this
spring/summer, efforts have been revived regarding
the TCT corridor in the Elk Valley. Discussions with
high level government officials last year recommended
not pursuing any trail formalization on crown land in
the Elk Valley. Without any hope to formally recognize
the trail within the foreseeable future a strategy has
been developed to promote a more trail-like route that
the general public can use and enjoy. It would be a
A public recreation corridor in the Mt Broadwood Nature route that would utilize available public accessible
Conservancy near Elko. Photo by Al Skucas. recreational corridors.
Attend the 2007 Trails BC AGM in Summerland for
This 27 km rail trail combined with the 13 km Isidore more details on this updated BC Rockies route plan
Canyon rail trail to the east of Cranbrook will form the and strategy.
backbone of the TCT in the Rockies/East Kootenay •••
region. With these two trails being the only rails trails
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4. TCTF AGM 2006 Report Trail Talk: Vol. 12 No. 2 — April 2007
Trans Canada Trail Foundation AGM
By Al Skucas. working relationship to maximize the development,
I had an enjoyable time attending the Trans Canada management and use of the TCT.”
Trail Foundation’s 2006 AGM in Montreal last June. It Each group was to come up with five
was a rainy and blustery weekend, so being indoors recommendations or suggestions at the end to
was OK for that time of the year. facilitate these strategic goals.
With last year’s passing of the torch from CEO and A lot of positive and creative ideas came up during
President John Bellini to Sanderson Layng, there has this workshop and Sanderson was committed to a
been much anticipation on the future direction of the business plan that in part will be guided by the
TCT Foundation. This is the first time in the suggestions arising from this exercise.
foundation’s history that a change has The foundation is also going to try to
been made at this level. ramp up the funding aspect of the TCTF.
To that end they solicited the support of
Make the Plan Come Alive… Governor General Michaelle Jean and
In an effort to revitalize the Trans Jean Beliveau to head a new fundraising
Canada Trail, this AGM focussed on drive. You may have also seen the new
reviewing the strategic goals of the TCT. promotional TV ads that have appeared
As a result the theme was “Make the Plan this year. The foundation has also hired a
Come Alive”. funding consultant who will be targeting
Instead of the usual reports from the donations from Corporate Canada.
provinces and territories, the AGM
became a brainstorming exercise. To facilitate this, the New Foundation Director…
board and trail representatives were broken up into The foundation has added Becky Scott to the board.
four groups. The four groups had to come up with She is also on the board of the 2010 Canadian Olympic
consensual recommendations and suggestions committee and will be helping to promote the TCT as
concerning: the route of the Olympic Torch Relay.
Sanderson Layng also announced a program that will
Resource Development… attempt to embed the TCT in the minds of young
“To ensure the provision of the financial and in-kind Canadians. The TC Leaf has been introduced as a
resource needed to accomplish the Mission of the cartoon character which will star in a colouring book;
Foundation and assist local and regional fundraising an animated television series; and a video game. As he
initiatives.” travels along the Trans Canada Trail, "TC" will have
adventures, meet friends and teach lessons about our
Public and Community Affairs… history, heritage, and geography, plus the importance
“To promote the Trans Canada Trail and trail of an active lifestyle.
organizations within all spheres of influence to Overall I found the atmosphere of this AGM to be
enhance the development, management and use of the very positive and open. Lots of good contacts were
TCT at the national level as well as in regional and made and worthwhile discussion took place around the
local jurisdictions.” tables. I think we should make an effort to encourage
more representation from Trails BC at future TCT
Community Assistance… AGMs. Editor's Note: The TCTF 2007 AGM will be
“To assist local and provincial trail organizations with held June 7 to 10 at the Lonsdale Quay Hotel, City of
the range of community development tasks required to North Vancouver.
provide for the development, management and use of •••
the TCT.”
SUPPORT TRAILS BC
Trail Development… MEMBERSHIPS AND DONATIONS CAN
“To liaise with our trail partner organizations so as to NOW BE PROCESSED ON-LINE AT:
ensure an active, engaged and mutually beneficial WWW.TRAILSBC.CA
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5. The Victoria - Cowichan Valley Link Trail Talk: Vol. 12 No. 2 — April 2007
The Victoria – Cowichan Valley Link
By Jeannette Klein forestry road. This is especially beautiful as you pass
The long-awaited 24 kilometre missing link between through a leafy bower of established deciduous trees.
the Victoria to Shawnigan Lake Trans Canada Trail The road climbs to an opened area where there is a
section and the Cowichan Valley Trans Canada Trail spectacular view of Finlayson Arm and surrounding
section is about to be built. Anyone who has followed mountains; the summit is 475m.
the TCT on Vancouver Island will know that it will The intention is that this trail section will be owned
mean no longer using the very busy Malahat Highway and managed by the adjoining regional districts.
to get to Shawnigan Lake. With the exception of the Hopefully, detailed engineering and design will
Kinsol Trestle it will also mean travelling completely commence this year and the big hope and wish would
on trail from Victoria to Lake Cowichan. be to see construction commence in 2008. Then we'll
Some years ago the original path of the TCT north have a party!
from Victoria was routed through the Capital Regional •••
District’s watershed via the Galloping Goose Trail. This
section of the trail was flooded with the
raising of the dam for the main water
supply for Victoria. The regional district
and the provincial government established
a compensation fund for construction of a
new trail.
In December 2006, $1 million of the TCT
Relocation Fund was released to the
Capital Regional District (CRD) and the
adjoining Cowichan Valley Regional
District (CVRD) for trail corridor
acquisition and construction of this
section. It will not be on rail grade but
travel through the CRD's Sooke Hills
Wilderness Park Reserve and several other
publicly and privately held parcels of land.
A gateway to the trail will be built on the
site of an abandoned reservoir. The new
link of the TCT will pass through an
already existing CRD park wilderness area Part of the new Trans Canada Trail will follow an old forestry road.
where new trail will be constructed to Photos courtesy of the Capital Regional District (CRD).
meet up with an old seven-kilometre-long
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6. Trail Society Reports Trail Talk: Vol. 12 No. 2 — April 2007
Trail Society Reports
Vermilion Trail Society Slocan Valley Heritage Trail
by Judy Short Society
This year the Vermilion Trail Society of Princeton, by Rory Lindsay
stewards of 113 kilometres of the Kettle Valley Railway The Slocan Valley Rail Trail provides an amazing
right-of-way/Trans Canada Trail between Osprey Lake hiking, biking or equestrian experience as the trail
and Brookmere, has been active in maintaining and meanders alongside the scenic Slocan River and its
upgrading the stretch of trail in our area. diverse flora and fauna. It passes by important
The V.T.S. had a successful 2006 archaeological sites and places rich
which included a second TCT in the history of the silver mining
Challenge Event that was very well and lumber industries and the
attended. We met with government Japanese Canadian internment.
officials to discuss the situation The trail has a very gentle grade
with off-road vehicles on the throughout and is suitable for
rail-trail. They assured us they are children and seniors as well as the
working on finding solutions. We seasoned trail user. Striking river
also had a meeting with the vistas alternate with wetlands,
Regional District of Okanagan forests and quaint pastoral
Similkameen and it appears that sections. Periodically, the trail
they may have an interest in managing the rail-trail. passes through one of the small Slocan Valley
This would be very helpful as it would relieve our communities where a trail-user can take advantage of
group of the sometimes overwhelming responsibility of a local restaurant, cappuccino bar, bakery or
trail maintenance. convenience store. The northern terminus is the scenic
In the late summer of 2006, in cooperation with the beachfront on beautiful Slocan Lake.
Town of Princeton, the V.T.S. paved three kilometres The Slocan Valley Heritage Trail Society manages the
of the trail from the Tulameen River, through the 50 km long Slocan Valley Rail Trail under a
community to the mouth of the Princeton Tunnel. This stewardship agreement with Tourism British Columbia.
user-friendly surface is enjoyed by residents and With the help of a SICEA grant in 2004 - 2005, the
tourists alike. Those in wheelchairs or pushing strollers former CPR rail line was converted into a world-class
also appreciate the smooth travelling. Our group rail trail with construction of bridges, trailheads and
would like to see the paving project extended to many kilometres of resurfacing. This spring, the
include the area from the Tulameen River crossing east Society is finalizing a few construction items, but the
to the Old Hedley Road crossing near the trail is up and running and being well used. Crescent
Weyerhaeuser Mill. We are now trying hard to find Valley, Passmore, Winlaw, Lemon Creek and the
funding to pave this section. Village of Slocan all have trailheads with parking and
The V.T.S. is currently overseeing the completion of information kiosks to provide entry points.
the Weyerhaeuser Roundhouse Kiosk. This structure is
Contact:
being constructed on the site of the connection of the
Slocan Valley Heritage Trail Society
K.V.R. and the Great Northern Railway and will be PO Box 22, Winlaw, BC V0G 2J0
completed in the spring of 2007. Finding funds to Tel: 250-355-2397
complete larger projects and repairing Mother Nature's 1-888-683-SVRT (7878)
winter damage on the trail will keep our members Email: info@svrt.ca
busy for the immediate future. Web: http://www.svrt.ca.
Contact:
Judy Short VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Vermilion Trail Society Volunteers are needed across the
PO Box 2104, Princeton, BC V0X 1W0 province. Contact trailsbc@trailsbc.ca to
Email: info@vermiliontrailssociety.com offer your help.
Web: http://www.vermiliontrailssociety.com/
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7. The Kinsol Trestle Debate Trail Talk: Vol. 12 No. 2 — April 2007
The Kinsol Trestle Debate - Rehabilitate
or Rebuild?
by Jeannette Klein
By now everyone in Victoria and probably
most of Vancouver Island knows about the
Kinsol Trestle. It is 187m long and 38m high
and is the largest remaining railway trestle in
the British Commonwealth. It spans the
Koksilah River on southern Vancouver Island
and is part of the Trans Canada Trail.
It certainly was not all that well known
when I first started cycling the Trans Canada
Trail on Vancouver Island in the early 1990s.
(Yikes! The previous century!) We were
cycling on the rail grade in Shawnigan Lake
when we more or less happened upon it.
This past summer the Ministry of
Transportation announced that this now
famous/infamous trestle was to be removed
for safety reasons at a cost of $1.2 million.
For those of us interested in the TCT it would
mean the start of the process of building a A passenger train crossing the Kinsol Trestle in 1954.
Photo taken by Elwood White.
replica of the trestle, needed for crossing the
Koksilah River. For the many
supporters of maintaining the an attempt by the CVRD and MoT
trestle, this was confirmation of to sway the public for demolition.
their worst fears. Many letters,
The Kinsol was completed in
both pro and con, appeared in the
1921 with the last train making
local papers.
the crossing in 1979. In 1984 the
On September 22 & 23, 2006 BC government began
the Cowichan Valley Regional negotiations with CNR to acquire
District (CVRD) Parks Department the right-of-way partly for a
and the Ministry of recreational corridor. From that
Transportation jointly hosted an time many attempts have been
"open house" at the north side of made to rehabilitate it. Two
the Kinsol. Along with attempts by arsonists have failed
representatives from their to destroy it. Recently, the CVRD
engineering consultants, they Parks Dept has applied for a
attempted to demonstrate the LocalMotion grant of $1.6 million
poor condition of this wooden to start the fund raising for
structure. Over 300 people made rebuilding.
the journey into the trestle site
It's a grand site to see - the
and viewed for themselves its
curved wooden structure over a
condition. The results of a survey
very narrow steep gorge. I hope I
taken were overwhelmingly in
The Kinsol Trestle shows its age. get to cross it one way or another
favor of rebuilding the Kinsol to Photo by George Klein. some day.
look like the original. Those
wanting to rehabilitate the trestle •••
subsequently commented that the open house was just
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8. Back to Business Trail Talk: Vol. 12 No. 2 — April 2007
Renew Your Membership
As we begin another year of work on the British Columbia portion of the Trans Canada Trail, we need your
continued support and membership renewal. Application forms are available at www.trailsbc.ca.
Individual: $25 Group Member: $100
Business Associate: $100
Payment may be made by sending a cheque to the office or by paying on-line at www.trailsbc.ca. Tax receipts
will be issued for individual membership payments (as well as all donations).
As you will read in the newsletter, there is progress being made in each of the regions across the province. Our
dedicated volunteers continue to work with individual citizens, Trails BC member groups, local businesses and
all three levels of Government in order to reach the goal of having the BC Trans Canada Trail navigable from
Victoria to the Alberta border by 2010.
With your help we can do it together!
Trails BC 2006-2007 Board…
President: Regional Directors: Rockies/East Kootenay: Provincial Office:
Murphy Shewchuk Vancouver Island: Al Skucas Trails BC
Vice President: Jeannette Klein Northeast: 315 – 1367 W. Broadway
Léon Lebrun Southwest: Jack Gladysz Vancouver BC V6H 4A9
Treasurer: Léon Lebrun
Jack Harder Directors-at-Large:
Boundary: Tel: (604) 737 3188
Secretary: Ernie Hennig Ray Johnson
Sue Burnham West Kootenay: Kelly Koome Email: trailsbc@trailsbc.ca
Sjeng Derkx Larri Woodrow Web Site: www.trailsbc.ca
Volunteers Essential for Trail Survival!
Trails BC needs your expertise to continue the work requires several days of preparation – much of it in the
of developing and maintaining the Trans Canada Trail form of administration and planning.
across British Columbia. If you aren't able to swing a shovel, you may be able
First, there is the obvious continuing field work to make an equally important contribution by assisting
patrolling and maintaining the trail network and with all of the other tasks involved in the operation of
ancillary facilities such as gates; fences; signage; and the Trans Canada Trail in British Columbia.
trailhead structures. While this work is essential for the Please volunteer your services.
safety and well-being of the trail user as well as the
Please visit http://www.trailsbc.ca or email
longevity of the system, the management of Trails BC
trailsbc@trailsbc.ca to find out more about Trails BC
and the various volunteer societies that coordinate and
and the various regional groups and member societies.
carry out this work is of equal importance.
•••
The computer is as mighty as the shovel.
While work parties can be fun, your help is also
desperately needed for the day-to-day duties such as
chairing meetings; serving on planning teams and SUPPORT TRAILS BC
committees; fundraising and looking after the finances; MEMBERSHIPS AND DONATIONS CAN
editing and publishing newsletters; and designing and NOW BE PROCESSED ON-LINE AT:
maintaining websites. Each day of field work often WWW.TRAILSBC.CA
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