MUNICIPALITY ADVANCES ‘GEOPARK’ PLAN
In September 2020, the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) approved a plan to create a “geopark” on four sites near the southern end of town — with the long-term goal of teaming up with other jurisdictions to seek a larger Sea to Sky Geopark designation from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In its initial phase, the Whistler Geopark would involve trail building and interpretive signage at four geologically significant sites — the lava escarpment at Cheakamus Crossing, the volcanic crater at Loggers Lake, the basalt eskers (long ridges of stratified sand and gravel left behind by melting glaciers) and the lava-glacier-bedrock gorge at Cal-Cheak South.
“This is an exciting initial foray into a much larger plan to deepen the community’s collective understanding of the natural history of the area and help foster a greater sense of place, as well as diversify our tourism offerings,” Mayor Jack Crompton said in a release announcing the RMOW’s application for a federal-provincial grant to fund the initial phase. Results of the application are expected by mid-2021. The region “has unique landforms and features found in few places on Earth as a result of the interplay of glaciation, volcanism and plate tectonics,” RMOW officials said. To that end, the RMOW’s ultimate goal is to see 60 sites from Bowen Island in the south to Mount Meager in the north become part of a UNESCO-designated Sea to Sky Fire & Ice Geopark. There are currently only five such sites in Canada, one of which (Tumbler Ridge) is in B.C.
Visit whistler.ca/culture-recreation/geopark-project.