By Kristina Swerhun
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall
What brought you to Whistler, and why did you decide to stay, or keep coming back to visit? For many, or perhaps most of us, Whistler’s magnificent natural environment is a major reason. As a long-time resident, I am grateful to reside on the unceded shared territory of the Lil’wat Nation and Squamish Nation, who have been stewards of the land and waters in this region since time immemorial.
Whistler is “a community set within the wild,” Liz McDonald aptly wrote in a recent editorial in the Pique Newsmagazine. We have mountains of life-affirming biodiversity that surrounds us, which you can sense by paying attention to the sounds and sights of the outdoors.
Do you see that stringy stuff hanging from trees? That’s Witch’s Hair lichen, indicators of clean air. Hear those frog calls in spring? Those are Pacific Tree Frogs, indicators of clean water. Experience the sights and sounds of beaver activity? The wetlands they create and maintain provide vital habitat and protect against flooding, drought, and wildfires. Do you find peace in old-growth forests? They house species found nowhere else, store massive amounts of carbon, and offer significant cultural and recreational value.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), this is the first in a series of articles that will focus on the impact our resort community has had on nature—successes, challenges, and looking to the future.
In 1914, with the arrival of the railway, Whistler’s tourism, logging and mining industries opened for business. Then, in 1966, with the official opening of Whistler Mountain, tourism began to take priority over the extraction of trees and ore. When the RMOW was established in 1975, it recognized that the local economy was primarily driven by tourism. Indeed, outdoor recreation was recognized as Whistler’s prime resource in the 1976 Official Community Plan (OCP).
OCPs are about setting intentions. I was inspired to learn that in the original OCP, the first of ten community development objectives was “To protect and enhance the natural environment.” In our current OCP, protecting nature is one of the three pillars of our community vision: a place where our community thrives, nature is protected, and guests are inspired.
So, how are we doing? Did we follow up on our intentions to protect nature with actions?
It takes teamwork to protect non-human species that can’t advocate for themselves. These articles will highlight programs, individuals and groups that have worked together to safeguard Whistler’s natural environment.
When the needs of a community cannot be fully met by government or the private sector, non-profit groups fill the gaps. Whistler is fortunate to have numerous non-profit groups guided by volunteer boards of hopeful community members dedicated to protecting nature.
Some of these groups will be highlighted in coming articles (on the Whistorical blog and in the Pique Newsmagazine) and include the Whistler Museum and Archives, formed in 1986; Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment (1989); Get Bear Smart Society (1995); Whistler Community Foundation (1999); Whistler Naturalists (1999); Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council (2009); Cheakamus Community Forest Society (2009); Coast to Cascades Grizzly Bear Initiative (2013); and Whistler Lakes Conservation Foundation (2022).
This is the first in a series of articles that will focus on the impact our resort community has had on nature—successes, challenges, and looking to the future.
Kristina Swerhun is a biologist who has managed the Whistler Museum’s Discover Nature program since 2015 and provides public nature training. A long-time Whistler Naturalists volunteer, a Certified Interpretive Guide Trainer, and works with the Resort Municipality of Whistler on the Interpretive Panel Project, including writing and narrating the Biodiversity 101 video.