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

Stewardship begins with educationStewardship begins with education

May 5, 2026 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

By: Kristina Swerhun

Featured image: Paws and Reflect: The Whistler Museum’s Discover Nature program at Lost
Lake welcomes you in summer.
Photo credit: Kristina Swerhun

“To a person uninstructed in natural history, their forest or lakeside stroll is a walk through a
gallery filled with wonderful works of art, nine-tenths of which have their faces turned to the
wall.” – Thomas Henry Huxley

Whistler’s long-term vision is to be a place where nature is protected. To make this a lasting
transition, I believe we need both top-down government policy and bottom-up community action.
A joyful part of this journey is learning about the wonderful “works of art” we find in nature.
Research confirms nature education leads to understanding, understanding leads to
appreciation, and appreciation leads to stewardship. We’re lucky that Whistler has many
opportunities to learn about nature. Here are some recommendations:

Interpretive Panels: This Municipal initiative fosters a deeper understanding of nature and
heritage. Some 170 panels can be found throughout the valley. Many panels are highlighted in
self-guided tours—Natural Wonders, History & Heritage, Discover Creekside, Cultural
Connector—at Whistler.com/self-guided-tours.

Video Guided Nature Tour: This Whistler Museum tour takes place in Lost Lake Park on the
walking-only trail that starts at the PassivHaus and follows Blackcomb Creek. The tour has 10
stops and explores the species that call Whistler home (a snowshoe pass is required in winter).
WhistlerMuseum.org/NatureWalk

Monthly Bird Walks: These free walks, hosted by the Whistler Naturalists, are open to anyone
interested in learning about birds and contributing as a citizen scientist. Connect with
experienced birders who are happy to share their knowledge. WhistlerNaturalists.ca/Birding
Interpretive Forest Walk: Offered by the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre. This seasonal tour
is set along the Salish Stroll, the Cultural Centre’s forest trail, and immerses guests in the
natural environment while exploring the deep cultural knowledge of the Squamish and Lil’wat
Nations. SLCC.ca/Tours

Discover Nature: This Whistler Museum free drop-in program runs at Lost Lake Park on
weekdays in July and August. Nature interpreters host touch-tables, offering different themes
each day of the week to foster deeper connections between people and the natural world.
WhistlerMuseum.org/DiscoverNature

Whistler NatureKids Club: New in 2025, the Whistler Naturalists have partnered with
NatureKids BC to offer free monthly science-based nature outings for families with kids ages 5
–12. Email Whistler@NatureKidsBC.ca

Whistler 101 Videos: An online series created by the municipality to inspire a deeper
understanding of Whistler. Six episodes highlight biodiversity, geodiversity, indigenous peoples,
history & heritage, climate, and the arts. WhistlerLibrary.ca/learn/Whistler-101
Fire & Ice Aspiring GeoRegion: Will eventually contain some 70 geosites stretching from
Porteau Cove to Mt. Meager. Discover mountain building, glaciation, volcanism, and collapse
at FireAndIceGeoRegion.ca.

NatureSpeak: These nature articles, written by the Whistler Naturalists, currently appear
monthly in The Pique. Going back to 1999, hundreds of past articles are available at
WhistlerNaturalists.ca/NatureSpeak-articles.

Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment (AWARE): Protects Whistler’s
natural environment through advocacy on conservation, climate action, and circular economy
practices. AwareWhistler.org

Coast to Cascades Grizzly Bear Initiative: Seeks to protect and recover threatened grizzly
bears and safeguard their habitat in southwest British Columbia through science-based planning
and community involvement. CoastToCascades.org

Help protect biodiversity from invasive speciesHelp protect biodiversity from invasive species

March 17, 2026 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

Feature Image: Chinese Mystery Snail at Lost Lake

“Nature once determined how we survive. Now we determine how nature survives.” – Sir David Attenborough

Whistler is fortunate to have the Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council (SSISC) to help protect biodiversity, our strongest natural defence against climate change. SSISC was formed in 2009 to minimize the threat of invasive species—species introduced from other regions, primarily by humans, that rapidly spread and cause significant harm to the environment, the economy, or human health.

It’s often mentioned that invasive species are the second most significant threat to biodiversity after habitat loss. What’s less commonly cited is that both invasive species and habitat loss are driven by economic growth. When we don’t acknowledge economic growth as the primary cause of biodiversity loss, we may believe that, with precautions and technological advances, we can continue to grow forever on a finite planet. However, as Sir Attenborough also has said, anyone who believes this is “either a madman or an economist.”

Some relatively good news among the bad news of invasive species is that, since mass access here was relatively recent (began with the arrival of the railway in 1914), Whistler has been exposed to invasive species for less time than our neighbours in Squamish (mid-1800s) and Pemberton (also mid-1800s when 30,000 gold-rushers passed through). Another positive is that ecologically minded residents have been removing invasive plants on their own initiative for years before SSISC formed. These advantages enable SSISC to now eradicate high-priority invasive plants, such as Scotch Broom, Himalayan Blackberry, and others, from Whistler.

The bad news is that humans spread invasive species, and the Resort is becoming busier, especially in the warmer months when invasives are more likely to spread. One unfortunate example is Whistler’s lakes. Most have been stocked with invasive Rainbow Trout for sport fishing, some as early as the 1920s. Unfortunately, not only did Rainbow Trout displace native Cutthroat Trout, but fish stocking can also introduce other invasive species that hitchhike in transported water and mud. Additionally, lake users who don’t “Clean Drain and Dry” their equipment risk transporting and spreading invasive species. Finally, many released aquarium pets become invasive species, and sadly, Whistler has multiple water bodies where released goldfish are devastating native fish and amphibians.

The Whistler Museum operates its Discover Nature program at Lost Lake every summer, so we’re attuned to the ecology of the lake. We noticed giant snails (up to 6 cm) a few years ago, which seemed out of place, and indeed, they were. They turned out to be invasive Chinese Mystery Snails, and this year their populations grew exponentially—a typical trajectory for invasive species. SSISC confirms they are present in other Whistler lakes as well, but our concern for Lost Lake specifically is that it is the only place in the valley where Western Toads breed. The invasive snail can harm aquatic food webs, which the Western Toad is a big part of in Lost Lake.

We’re looking forward to working with SSISC and the municipality to see what can be done to protect Western Toads from invasive species. How the snails arrived is currently unknown, but could be any of the reasons above or a vector we don’t yet understand. To learn more about invasive species and how you can protect biodiversity, please visit SSISC.ca.

Whistler’s Remaining Old-growth ForestsWhistler’s Remaining Old-growth Forests

February 17, 2026 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

“Look closely at nature. Every species is a masterpiece, exquisitely adapted to the particular
environment in which it has survived. Who are we to destroy or even diminish biodiversity?”
– E. O. Wilson

Featured Photo: Whistler’s old trees are living monuments that have withstood centuries of change. Bob Brett, photographer.

Whistler is fortunate to be surrounded by temperate rainforest, which is essential to Whistler’s
appeal as a tourist destination. Forests have also proven to be highly beneficial for human
mental and physical health. Environmentally, trees are indispensable: they clean the air,
regulate temperature, manage water, store carbon, and provide places for our wildlife
neighbours to feed, breed, and rest. However, not all forests offer the same benefits.
Old-growth forests, defined as undisturbed for at least 250 years, are vital to addressing the
interconnected biodiversity and climate crises. Compared with second-growth forests, which
have regenerated after human disturbance, old-growth forests have a more complex ecological
structure that supports greater biodiversity. Whistler species that rely on old-growth forests
include the Spotted Owl (last heard in Whistler in 1946), Fisher, Goshawk, and a host of lichen,
fungi, mosses, insects and amphibians.

On the climate side, old-growth forests store vast amounts of carbon in living trees, dead wood,
and undisturbed soil. They also have greater climate resilience, and this is where things get
fascinating. A key feature of old-growth forests is that trees of multiple species are connected
below ground by a rich, complex fungal network that shares resources and information. Why
would trees do this? Suzanne Simard at UBC studies these interactions and has said, “Actually,
it doesn’t make evolutionary sense for trees to behave like resource-grabbing individualists.
They live longest and reproduce most often in a healthy, stable forest. That’s why they’ve
evolved to help their neighbours.”

Another way trees help their neighbours is by collaboratively managing microclimates for the
benefit of the entire community—providing shade, buffering wind, and cycling water. This
collaboration is another reason why, when old-growth forests are logged, they are gone forever.
The biodiversity and ecological functions lost are not recovered in subsequent forests, leading
to a loss of what made that ecosystem unique.

Since the early 1900s, Whistler’s forests have been logged extensively, and low-elevation old-
growth forests that once covered the valley are now found only in limited areas. Commercial
logging and thinning have continued by the Cheakamus Community Forest (CCF) since 2009,
though old-growth logging was deferred in 2021.

One thing we heard at their latest open house is that the CCF is considering managing old-
growth forests to “increase their resilience to climate change” as part of its broader Climate
Resilience Plan, which focuses on managing multiple forest values, including wildfire risk
reduction. Here things get tricky, because there are often unexpected negative consequences of
humans’ best intentions: interventions intended to solve one problem often create new,
unforeseen issues elsewhere in the complex, interconnected system of nature. Given that old-
growth forests thrive on stability, attempting to manage them doesn’t make ecological sense,
especially since they are already among the most climate-resilient ecosystems on Earth.

To learn more about Whistler’s irreplaceable old trees and forests, look for Whistler’s Old and
Ancient Trees Guide at the Whistler Museum and Armchair Books. It was created by local researcher Bob Brett and the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment
(AWARE). Of note is that virtually all of Whistler’s remaining unlogged forests are over 300
years old, and Whistler’s oldest known living tree, a Yellow Cedar in the Callaghan Valley, is
estimated to be at least 1,250 years old. We are truly privileged to live among these magnificent
trees and forests.

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.

Category: Environment & Biodiversity

Stewardship begins with educationStewardship begins with education

Help protect biodiversity from invasive speciesHelp protect biodiversity from invasive species

Whistler’s Remaining Old-growth ForestsWhistler’s Remaining Old-growth Forests

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