Jumbo Development--or Giant Mistake?
We are at a turning point in human development on the planet. The
turning point is not a physical place, but rather a matter of choice.
In more and more locations, the irreversible choices have already been
made. In a few places, such as the Purcell Mountains in British Columbia
(Canada's westernmost province), there is still time to reconsider the
one-way trend of "development." But the prognosis is not good.
Is this another doom and gloom story of environmental disaster?
Not yet. The issue presented here is emblematic of the state of our
planet in 1996. Some legacy of our wild, natural heritage remains. Does
the will remain to protect it?
British Columbia's Purcell mountain range, dividing the east and west
Kootenays, is a dazzling spectacle of mountain peaks, glaciers, alpine
lakes and meadows, rivers, and valleys of ancient interior rainforest.
The Purcells are the home to a long list of animal and bird species,
including grizzly and black bear, woodland caribou, elk, moose, wolf,
wolverine, mountain goat, mountain lion, peregrine falcon, golden eagle,
and northern pygmy owl to name just a few. These mountains echo the
call of the wild.
The B.C. government has invited and is currently reviewing through
its environmental assessment legislation a proposed year-round ski city
for the Jumbo Pass area of the southern Purcell Mountains. At its completion,
this 7,000-bed mountain city would include hotels, apartments, a subdivision,
streets, stores, recreation facilities, a highway, a sewage plant and
garbage containment area, as well as numerous trails, ski lifts, day
huts, and helicopters. This extravagant development is being promoted
to rich foreign tourists and would provide minimal benefit to the people
of the Kootenays, while costing the B.C. taxpayer millions every year
in services and maintenance. It would also pave the way for a sky's-the-limit,
multi-million dollar highway over Jumbo Pass, linking the east and west
Kootenays through Argenta.
Argenta happens to be the place I chose to make my home. With a
stable population of 150, no stores or even a gas station, but small
homesteads of craftspeople, woodworkers, artists, gardeners, and retirees,
the lifestyle here would be changed beyond recognition, by such a major
highway. An old story on the planet, but does it have no end?
Jumbo Pass is only one of two vital wildlife travel corridors within
the fortress of mountains between the east and west Kootenays and is
home to several endangered or threatened species, including the grizzly
bear, wolverine, woodland caribou, fisher, bald eagle, American peregrine
falcon, Least chipmunk, and red-tailed chipmunk. Numerous threatened
or endangered subspecies are believed to inhabit the Jumbo Pass area
as well.
The largest wilderness park in the southern interior of B.C., the
Purcell Wilderness Conservancy, would sit a mere three miles from the
Jumbo ski development, while the proposed highway would come much nearer
to the park. The Purcell Wilderness Conservancy (PWC) was created in
1974 through a special order in council with the primary objective of
preserving its vast wilderness quality. The Jumbo ski development would
jeopardize the very essence of the PWC and threaten species whose home
range extends outside the PWC.
Native Indians have used the Purcell Mountains for hundreds or thousands
of years. Despite being the traditional inhabitants of the land, they
have only been given consultative status in the decision making over
the Jumbo ski development. Since the arrival of Europeans to the Kootenays
in the 1800s, white settlers have established a history of non-obtrusive
backcountry use of the Purcells, reflecting a deep respect and appreciation
for the land. The small towns of the east and west Kootenays harmonize
with this low-impact use and there is great potential for these towns
to flourish, supporting small-scale, sustainable wilderness recreation
in the Purcells.
The center of the proposed development area is a rounded glacier
at 9,000 feet elevation called Glacier Dome. It's accessible by a full
day-hike from Argenta. I had the pleasure of going there a couple of
years ago with three friends. We drove to a trail head, hiked a couple
of hours to a popular camping area called Monica Meadows, then climbed
up a spiny ridge to peek over at the glistening spectacle of ice and
snowy mountains as far as the eye could see.
On top of Glacier Dome, I experienced the greatest scene of majestic
beauty I have scene anywhere in a lifetime of mountain travel. And this
was before the trek to the far side of Glacier Dome, where a thousand-foot
drop shows a green gem called Lake of the Hanging Glacier. To my right,
a more reasonable slope ran down to the Jumbo Creek valley: the main
ski hill. Where I stood, a massive chair-lift would deposit skiers by
the thousand.
So this was what all the fuss was about. No wonder the Italian
developer, Oberto Oberti, was so enthused with the potential to attract
big-bucks tourists here in large numbers. I felt privileged to have
the place all to myself and a few friends. Too privileged? I felt a
little guilty. What right did I presume to want to keep this spectacle
to the hardy few?
Then I remembered the grizzlies, the caribou, the clear streams.
And the spectacle itself: the irony of bringing a city to the wilderness,
when doing so would replace the wilderness with the city! I could see
the logic of the developer. The trouble was, it only worked so far before
turning into a devastating absurdity.
In 1991, during a visit to Switzerland, then-B.C. NDP Premier Mike
Harcourt was reported saying that his government welcomed the Jumbo
Pass development proposal. Shortly after that, the B.C. government accepted
the proposal for review under its Commercial Alpine Ski Policy (CASP)
and later submitted it to the provincial environmental assessment process.
By the end of stage one of the assessment in 1995, the government had
received hundreds of letters of opposition to the proposal and been
told at public meetings by an overwhelming majority of the people of
the Kootenays that they didn't want the development. Despite such formidable
opposition by those who would be most directly affected by the proposed
ski city, and grave concerns over the project expressed by the Ministry
of Environment, Lands, and Parks, Canadian Parks Service, First Nations,
and Ministry of Transport, government sent the proposal to stage two
of the environmental assessment.
The proposed Jumbo mega-development would negatively transform the
social and environmental integrity of the Kootenays forever. We are
at a critical point in time when we can move towards a truly sustainable
future or slide further down the slope of global economic, social, and
ecological destruction. If this development is to be stopped, the people
of the Kootenays must unite and demonstrate in extraordinary fashion
that they are absolutely opposed to the proposed Jumbo ski city.
At the same time, it can only help to have support from other voices
join in calling for wilderness protection. We are all stewards of the
planet's few remaining wild places. The next step--if the public demands
it--is full public hearings before government makes its final decision.
Write: Premier Glen Clark, Cathy McGregor - Environment Minister,
Dan Miller - Minister of Employment and Investment, Christy Clark -
Liberal critic for the environment, Gordon Wilson of the Progressive
Democratic Alliance. Address each to Parliament Buildings, Victoria,
B.C., Canada, V8V 1X4.
Should wilderness areas be allowed to survive unmolested on this
planet? We still have a choice.
--Original article by Matt Lowe of the Eco-Centre in Nelson, B.C.
ecocent@netidea.com,
1-250-354-4615
--Additions by Nowick Gray
photo by Steuart Gray
--May 1997
