Environment & Biodiversity – Page 2 – Whistler Museum and Archives Society

Environment & Biodiversity

We almost lost Lost Lake Park!We almost lost Lost Lake Park!

January 27, 2026 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

Photo credit: Don MacLaurin volunteering with the Whistler Rotary Club. 1984. Whistler Question Collection

“If you want to believe that the world is terrible, watch the news. If you want to believe that the world is incredible, spend time in nature.” – Austin Perlmutter

It’s hard to imagine Whistler without Lost Lake Park, our largest and most natural municipal park. However, the creation of the park was not a certainty. In the 1930s, as tourism in Whistler (then Alta Lake) grew, guests at Rainbow Lodge (located at what is now Rainbow Park) were taken on excursions to Lost Lake for swimming, fishing, and picnics. However, in the 1940s the Lost Lake area shifted from recreational to industrial. During the next twenty years most of the surrounding forest was logged, while the Great Northern Mill operated on the north shore of Lost Lake.

In the early 1960s residential development was proposed. The timber licenses straddling Lost Lake were about to expire, and developers started staking out lots and preparing to apply for waterfront property. Keep in mind: this was 15 years before the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) was created, so it took someone with vision and determination to ensure this beautiful natural playground could be enjoyed by the entire community and visitors.

Don MacLaurin: Bridge builder

Whistler was very fortunate that Don MacLaurin (1929-2014) made Alta Lake his summer home in the 1960s. Don was a forester for the BC Forest Service and later an instructor at BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology), teaching courses in forestry and parks management. He was also a tireless volunteer and mentor. Don strongly believed in the value of getting into the mountains, and he championed the summer enjoyment of Whistler’s landscape.

Don was able to navigate the complicated relationship between industry and recreation. “Don was living and teaching sustainability before the term was invented. [He] was the bridge builder, the guy who looked at both the economics and the ecology,” recalled Arthur DeJong in a 2014 Pique article.

Don was the driving force behind preserving the Lost Lake area as a park. With the help of his contacts at BC Parks, he was instrumental in ensuring Lost Lake Park was designated as a park, preventing privatization and preserving the space in perpetuity. Lost Lake Park opened officially in 1982.

It’s no surprise that today, Lost Lake Park is cherished for opportunities to conserve and appreciate nature. Every year I am filled with hope when I see how the community comes together to protect thousands of tiny Western Toads as they migrate from Lost Lake to the forest. The RMOW leads toad stewardship with permanent features such as signage, fencing, underpasses (for the toads!), and staff expertise. The Museum runs the Discover Nature program at Lost Lake Park, and we often hear that learning about and moving toads away from danger is a favourite activity. I know Don would be pleased!

We can thank Don for more than Lost Lake Park

Don worked as an advisor to the RMOW in the 1980s. When the forestry industry planned to clearcut the south side of Whistler Mountain, which is the first thing everyone sees when driving to Whistler from the south, Don and the council of the day fought back and got that logging license moved. Similarly, when the Ancient Cedars (just north of Whistler) were threatened with logging in 1988, that license was also moved due to Don’s persistence, persuasion and advocacy by the Western Canada Wilderness Committee.

Don also worked tirelessly on planning the Whistler Interpretive Forest. He mapped and developed the trails and helped people understand the forest and its importance. The suspension bridge spanning the Cheakamus River is called MacLaurin’s Crossing, a fitting tribute to this influential bridge builder.

Environment & Biodiversity

Coexisting with Whistler’s BearsCoexisting with Whistler’s Bears

January 6, 2026 Whistler Museum 2 Comments

Cover Image: Bears in the garbage dump (future site of Whistler Village), ca. 1965. Petersen Collection.

“Like us, animals feel love, joy, fear and pain, but they cannot grasp the spoken word. It is our obligation to speak on their behalf, ensuring their well-being and lives are respected and protected”.

– Sylvia Dolson

Whistler has an ever-evolving relationship with bears. Whistler residents and visitors alike are fascinated by bears and consider it a privilege to share the community with these magnificent animals. However, it hasn’t always been this way.

Not long ago, the general feeling in the community was that Whistler had a “bear problem”, but that missed the point. The issue was never the bears. The real problem is how people handle food and garbage while living in the middle of bear country. Whistler was built in prime black bear habitat, so it’s no surprise that people cross paths with them often. Bears have an exceptional sense of smell and are naturally drawn to anything that offers an easy, high-calorie reward, whether it’s garbage, barbecue residue, or pet food left outdoors.

When a bear discovers easy access to human food, everything changes. They lose their natural caution around people and begin searching for effortless meals wherever they can find them, sometimes causing damage in the process. This puts both people and their property at risk and puts the bears’ lives in danger. Any bear seen as assertive or “too comfortable” around humans is usually killed. When a bear pays the price for human behaviour, it is a preventable loss.

Between 1990 and 2016, 263 bears were killed in Whistler as a result of preventable conflict, an average of 10 each year. A great deal of work has gone into reducing those numbers, and the community has made encouraging progress. Between 2016 and today, 38 bears have been killed — still far too many, but a meaningful decrease that reflects years of education, planning, and commitment to coexistence.

Bears on Whistler Mountain 2018. Nichols Collection.

Efforts to make Whistler safer for bears took shape in 1995 with the creation of the Get Bear Smart Society. The organization focused on reducing human-caused problems for bears through education, science-based solutions, and community collaboration. Whistler is fortunate that Sylvia Dolson served as Executive Director for 21 years. Shortly after arriving in 1996, she read a newspaper headline about a “garbage bear” being destroyed, and that moment sparked her dedication to advocacy.

Sylvia founded the Bear Working Group, bringing together municipal staff, enforcement agencies, conservation officers, waste management partners, Whistler Blackcomb, and community members. This collaborative approach became the backbone of Whistler’s progress. Under her leadership, the community strengthened education, encouraged responsible behaviour, and worked to reduce attractants that bring bears into conflict.

In the late 1990s, the municipality began installing bear-resistant garbage cans and updating bylaws addressing attractants. These steps, paired with sustained education and enforcement, significantly reduced conflict over time. In 2010, Whistler applied for Bear Smart Community status, a provincial program that recognizes communities addressing the root causes of human-bear conflict.

Whistler achieved Bear Smart Community Status in 2011, a milestone reflecting the community’s willingness to take responsibility for living in bear country. Before leaving for the Sunshine Coast in 2017, Sylvia was recognized by the municipality for her years of service and her leadership on behalf of bears. What began as grassroots advocacy has grown into an established, long-term program — a powerful example of what is possible when people choose compassion, responsibility, and respect for the wildlife that shares their home.

Emerald Forest: the final link in Whistler’s green beltEmerald Forest: the final link in Whistler’s green belt

December 29, 2025 Whistler Museum 4 Comments

Top Image: Alex Philip with guests from Rainbow Lodge heading down the River of Golden Dreams. 1941. Philip Collection.

“Protecting biodiversity and fighting climate change takes more than isolated efforts: it requires a living network of protected and conserved areas that are deeply interconnected”. – Parks Canada

Our last nature article was about Whistler’s remaining wetlands and how important it is for Whistler to protect them. However, protected areas in isolation are not enough; they also need to be connected by green belts, defined as open land where development is restricted or banned. This allows for ecological connectivity, which is the ability for animals on land or in water to move freely from place to place. This is essential because it allows wildlife to find food, breed, and establish new home territories.

In 1985, when the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) expropriated what is now Rainbow Park near the north end of Alta Lake, the RMOW also recognized the value of protecting a wetland corridor along the River of Golden Dreams (ROGD) from Alta Lake to Green Lake. Over time, the RMOW protected the Whistler Nature Reserve (Rainbow Park wetlands), Golden Dreams Conservation Area, Meadow Park, and Dream River Park. The last piece of the puzzle was the establishment of the Emerald Forest Conservation Area in 2000. It was a huge win for ecological connectivity, but acquiring what was previously private land was a complex, lengthy and intriguing process.

In the late 1970s the 139-acre Emerald Forest property was purchased by Decigon Corporation and zoned for residential development. Even though the RMOW wanted to protect the land, it didn’t have the money to buy it. For several years, Decigon sought rights to their land that exceeded the allowed development or included subdivision. Over time, a large group of dedicated community members advocated to protect this critical ecosystem and recreation area. So, with community support, the RMOW renewed its efforts to safeguard the land.

In August 1999, it was finally announced that a deal had been made for the Emerald Forest lands. In a surprising twist, Intrawest had been brought in as a third party to make the deal happen. In the three-way agreement, Intrawest purchased the Emerald Forest lands from Decigon for an undisclosed price. In exchange for the Emerald Forest, the RMOW paid Intrawest $1 million and granted Intrawest approval for additional development rights in the Benchlands and other areas.

The Emerald Forest Conservation Area (2 on map) is a vital link in the protected
River of Golden Dreams corridor.

In 2000, the Emerald Forest Conservation Area was permanently protected through a legally binding agreement between the RMOW and The Land Conservancy of BC. Emerald Forest ecosystems include wetlands, which connect to the much larger ROGD corridor, as well as upland forest, which connects to wetlands on most sides and is significant habitat for many species. Much of the upland forest is unlogged, and some of the biggest trees are almost 400 years old!

I hope you have a renewed appreciation for the work done by the RMOW, Intrawest, and the community at large to protect the Emerald Forest for recreation and, more urgently, as an essential link in a protected wetland corridor. The ROGD green belt is vital for protecting Whistler’s biodiversity and resilience against climate change, a basic need for both people and wildlife.

Environment & Biodiversity

Wetlands: Nature’s Undervalued SuperheroesWetlands: Nature’s Undervalued Superheroes

December 9, 2025 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

By: Kristina Swerhun

“I don’t understand why when we destroy something created by man, we call it vandalism, but when we destroy something created by nature, we call it progress.”― Ed Begley Jr.

From the outset and as indicated in Whistler’s first Official Community Plan, the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) intended to protect nature. However, it’s difficult to build a resort municipality without impacting nature and, unfortunately, wetlands are located exactly where the RMOW and developers wanted to build—the flat valley bottom.

The River of Golden Dreams wetlands with Nicklaus North Golf Course on the left and Alta Lake in the background.
(Photo credit: Diamond Head Consulting)

Biodiversity is the foundation of healthy, functioning ecosystems upon which all life depends. Wetlands are vital to biodiversity, and not just to the many species that can survive nowhere else. Wetlands also benefit humans by purifying water, protecting against floods and drought, recharging aquifers, and acting as effective wildfire barriers—roles that are increasingly important as the climate changes.

Whistler’s wetland history

In 2007, wetland loss was the subject of a Simon Fraser University (SFU) study that compared aerial photos of Whistler taken in 1946 and 2003. Researchers found that Whistler’s wetlands decreased by 72%. Note that the study area extended south of Whistler to Daisy Lake, and doesn’t contain earlier and more recent losses, including when the new BC Transit station was built on a wetland near Nesters ahead of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

According to the SFU study, Whistler’s largest wetland area today—which follows the River of Golden Dreams—used to be two to three times its current size. Within this corridor, roughly half of the wetlands were lost to residential development, while the other half were lost to the Whistler Golf Course (1983) and Nicklaus North Golf Course (1996).

There’s some good news, too. Before Nicklaus North GC opened, 650 people attended a public hearing over concerns about wetlands. This support and advocacy by the then-nascent Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment (AWARE) and others saved 28 hectares (70 acres) of wetland from being filled in by the golf course. Also, the River of Golden Dreams corridor now has protected areas along its length, which is the subject of next week’s article.

Beavers for the win

The health of wetlands is directly tied to the presence of beavers; one cannot thrive without the other. The 1935 Mammals of the Alta Lake Region report states that “the beaver has been completely trapped out in the district for over 20 years.” Even after the demand for fur stopped, beavers were affected by development and loss of their wetland habitat. Despite these challenges, beavers have been on the road to recovery. In 2024, researcher Bob Brett documented 60 inhabited beaver lodges and estimated that 300-350 beavers live in Whistler. This example of nature’s resilience shows us that recovery is possible, provided we offer life the opportunity to return.

A community-wide effort is essential for protecting Whistler’s remaining wetlands. In 2024, the RMOW developed the Priority Habitat Framework, a plan to help protect Whistler’s most important natural habitat, including wetlands. Another way to protect nature is through grassroots advocacy. When community members speak up about their concerns and show they care for nature, it not only raises awareness—it also fosters hope and inspires others to take action.

Category: Environment & Biodiversity

We almost lost Lost Lake Park!We almost lost Lost Lake Park!

Coexisting with Whistler’s BearsCoexisting with Whistler’s Bears

Emerald Forest: the final link in Whistler’s green beltEmerald Forest: the final link in Whistler’s green belt

Wetlands: Nature’s Undervalued SuperheroesWetlands: Nature’s Undervalued Superheroes