Whistler Nordic Centre Recreation Access Impact Assessment

Project Introduction:

In 2004, Cascade Environmental was retained by VANOC to prepare a Recreation Access Impact Assessment for the Whistler Nordic Centre in the Callaghan Valley. As part of the assessment CERG consulted with various interest and stakeholder groups including First Nations, Commercial Recreation operators and public recreation users from the motorized and non-motorized sectors. Key Challenges identified in the assessment included access during construction and articulation and management of the spectrum the recreation activities based on current levels of use in the post-games scenario. Issues identified in the assessment were used by the Master Plan deem to refine the venue design and program recreational legacies.

Problem Statement:

The Callaghan Valley is an unmanaged recreational environment that contains a provincial park, two forest recreation sites and four Commercial Recreation tenures. Since the valley is un-programmed, all manner of public recreation users partake in a wide range of pursuits in an ad hoc manner and often in direct conflict with each other. This current condition will be exacerbated by the development of the WNC and the operation of a post-games legacy facility.

Solution Description:

The problems associated with overlapping and conflicting uses was addressed through a management planning exercise. The Recreation Access Impact Assessment avoided and mitigated adverse impacts by anticipating the impacts associated with the WNC, identifying conflicting activities, making management recommendations, and setting use levels.

While not directly related to the recreational use of the WNC, First Nations concerns regarding a candidate Wild Spirit Place added a level of complexity to the process. As a direct result of the assessments identified recreational issues, FN entered into site specific negotiations with VANOC to resolve their concerns within the Callaghan Valley.

As a result of the information gathered concerning public snowmobile use in the area, a plan is currently being developed to manage access and routing of public snowmobiles in a effort to minimize their impact to other users while facilitating better access for snowmobiles.

Project Result:

The Recreation Access Impact Assessment successfully identified and quantified use levels and potential impacts arising from development of the WNC to those recreational activities. This study is the first step in managing recreational activity in the Callaghan Valley for the Olympics and beyond.

Conclusion:

As with all resource based activities, recreation has impact and is impacted by competing uses. By clearly identifying they types of uses and by understanding the basis of conflict it is possible to manage activities in a manner that avoids or mitigates those adverse impacts. By managing the range of recreational activities taking plane on a land base the level and intensity of the activities can be matched to the goals and objectives; or in this case, the vision for the Callaghan Valley.