This is very serious folks, and if nobody does anything the Chief will be changed forever!

There has been a proposal put forward to the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection to construct a gondola up to the second summit of the Chief. This proposal includes 15 tram towers, and the capacity to carry 880 people per hour to the summit. Two acres of usable land at the second summit will be fenced off to accommodate an observation deck and restaurant facilities!

Please take the time to read the attached document and write letters.

Ivan

Below are a couple of sites where you can read more about the proposal, public hearings are due this fall.

http://findwhistler.com/page.cfm/5157

http://www.thetyee.ca/...nt/ChiefGondolas.htm

CLIMBERS' ACCESS SOCIETY OF B.C.
ACCESS ALERT - AUGUST 2004

Greetings! This message is from the Access Society, with current information and updates about climbing access and related issues in B.C. We hope the news is useful, and encourage readers to share, post and forward it. Our apologies if this broadcast is overly lengthy, or unwanted!


The Stawamus Chief, and surrounding cliffs, are an outstanding landmark and natural feature, only 50 km north of Vancouver. They offer world-class rock climbing, some of the most heavily-used trails in B.C., excellent camping, and superb vantage points. There are tens of thousands of annual climber-days at the Chief. It is B.C.'s home crag, and a 2004 estimate is that recreation at the Chief contributes $20 million annually to the area. Many climbers have moved to Squamish because of the Chief, and it has an important role in the culture and economy of the area. The Chief is largely old-growth forest, apart from the highway/powerline swath in front.

A proposal has been made to the B.C. government, to build a gondola to the second summit of the Chief. It would be based at the gravel pit between Stawamus Chief and Shannon Falls provincial parks, and would ascend via numerous towers to the Bulletheads, the top of Tantalus Wall, the upper backside of the first summit, to a terminal on the second summit. About a hectare on the second summit would be enclosed, with an observation deck and various facilities. Gondola capacity would be 880 passengers/hour. The proposal appears well-financed and serious, and is consistent with government plans for economic development and tourism in the area.

The Stawamus Chief became a Class A provincial park in 1995. For the gondola proposal to proceed, the government would have to overrule the 1997 park master plan, which after two years of community consultation affirmed that the Chief is a natural and unique landmark of cultural importance to British Columbians. The master plan prohibited mechanical lift access, but the government made changes to the Park Act in 2003 which allow it to override the plan if it wishes.

Representatives of the Squamish Access Society, an informal, organized group of Squamish climbers affiliated with the Access Society, met with the gondola proponents several months ago, received a great deal of information about the project, discussed it, and then wrote to the government to express concerns. It was then hoped that, having been giving a fair hearing, the proposal would quietly die. However, the eventual reply from the Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection was as follows:

“The management plan for Stawamus Chief Provincial Park was completed in 1997 following extensive public input. Mechanized access to the Chief is not consistent with the plan, and therefore, under the current management plan, a gondola could not be permitted. The ministry has informed the proponents that they may choose to seek community support for an amendment to the management plan. In order to do so, the proponent will be required to consult in an open and transparent manner with the local community, First Nations, interested or affected public agencies, users and stakeholder groups. The proponent has indicated that they are interested in pursuing this option. It is expected that public consultations may occur in the fall of this year, in which case I encourage you to participate in the process to ensure your perspectives are brought forward. Should those consultations demonstrate broad community support for a continuation of the park's management plan to restrict mechanized access on the Chief, then we would reflect those wishes.”

The nature of the consultative process is not yet known, and the Access Society believes that the government should manage the process and ensure it is impartial. The gondola proposal is being given serious consideration, and community opinion will be an important factor in the government decision. The Access Society will work, particularly with the Squamish Access Society and the Friends of the Chief (friendsofthechief@yahoo.ca), to ensure climbers’ interests and views are represented. We will also publicize developments through our website, broadcast e-mails, and the autumn edition of Access News. It seems likely that information about the proposal will be published, and there will be public meetings, but more is not yet known.

The proposal was discussed on CBC Radio's Early Edition in mid-August, and Megan Olesky, of Friends of the Chief, will be interviewed on AM600 Radio's Rafe Mair show about it at 9:15 AM on Monday August 23rd. 600 kHz in Vancouver, rebroadcast on other stations around B.C., or www.600am.com. Listeners can call (604) 280-0600 and comment.

For now, you can write, phone or e-mail and express your views on the project. The concerned officials:

Bill Barisoff, Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection
P.O. Box 9047, St'n. Prov. Gov't.
Victoria, B.C.
Canada V8W 9E2
(250) 387-1187, or WLAP.Minister@gems9.gov.bc.ca

Gordon Campbell, Premier
P.O. Box 9041, St'n. Prov. Gov't.
Victoria, B.C.
Canada V8W 9E1
Phone (250) 387-1715, or premier@gov.bc.ca

Ian Sutherland, Mayor
District of Squamish
P.O. Box 310
Squamish, B.C.
Canada V0N 3G0
Phone 1-877-892-5217, or isutherland@squamish.ca

Please write or call! A written letter counts for significantly more than an e-mail, and an e-mail for significantly more than a phone call - very simply, the more effort you put into whatever you send/say, the more impact it has. Please:

a) cc the Access Society (see 'contact us' on the website) with anything you send;
b) be polite, and brief;
c) identify who you are, where you live, who you represent (if anyone besides yourself), your interest in the area and issue, your views on the gondola proposal, and the reasons for them;
d) be as reasonable and constructive as you can - there are many aspects to this issue; and
e) be clear about what you support, or oppose.

The Access Society particularly encourages climbers, and climbers' organizations, from outside B.C. to write and express their concerns.

There are also petitions in Squamish-area climbing stores, and petitions may appear elsewhere. Other actions - website information, meetings, broadcast e-mails, attending public meetings - will occur as the occasion demands.

The Access Society's position with respect to the Stawamus Chief gondola proposal is that a gondola of this kind would be appropriate somewhere in the Squamish area, if well planned and designed, and if supported by First Peoples, governments, affected interest groups, and the public. A gondola within Stawamus Chief provincial park is not appropriate. It would:

a) be contrary to the master plan,
b) significantly conflict with existing low-impact users (climbers, hikers, campers, viewers),
c) mar a geological, visual and cultural landmark, and
d) negatively affect the Chief's standing as a national and international landmark and recreational resource.

The proposal also seems likely to generate substantial public comment, and may affect the peregrine falcons which nest on the Chief. There are alternative sites in the Squamish area that would not conflict with existing uses, or have such high environmental, community and visual impacts.


Thank you!
Anders Ourom (president)

According to the article, the top station would be on the South Summit, which would be the first summit.

The new casino in town proves that Squamish really does want to be the Outdoor Recreation Capital.

My point here is that squamish although a great climbing destination is hardly pristine.

It has been suggested that the tram will open up the summit of the Chief to those who are unable to climb it unaided. True as far as it goes; but is anyone suggesting that the real reason for the gondola is concern for disabled people? Of course not.

Unable to climb it unaided?? Nonsense.
A Quadriplegic climbed it!!!! With no friggin gondola.

http://www.verticalchallenge.org/index.html (notice he's against the gondola too).

But we should put a gondola in another place

I agree completely.

But we should put a gondola in another placefor the lazy losers who won't hike.

I have heard Mount Habrich and Echo Lake mentioned as possible destinations

The legislation enables the Minister to allow private interests to pursue recreational and tourism developments in parks if, in his opinion, development is “consistent with or complementary to” recreational values.”