Being that the park is one of my favorite places to tread through, I thought I would give a periodical report on the things that I am noticing as the clean up grinds along from the storm that damaged thousands of trees in Stanley Park on December 15, 2006.
One thing that bothers me to no end is the fact that I cannot run on the trails through the park right now. The furthest I have been able to get into the park, aside from our picture taking expedition[flickr], is the trail that goes around Lost Lagoon. That’s not to say that there isn’t a fair amount of damage to that area alone.
Talking to some friends who live on the north shore last night, the damage is not just inside Stanley Park. I’m not sure many people understand how badly the area was hit because they seemed to be surprised at what we were telling them. Our pal Preston did hit the nail on the head when we were trying to describe it to him. Indeed, it does look like the Iron Giant[imdb] took a nice stroll through the park.
The other day, I came across the point where the Tatlow comes out at Lost Lagoon. Of course, there are barricades preventing you from taking the trail into the heart of the park. I have to question why. Directly on the other side of the orange and white gate, there is a mess of trees lying crisscrossed over the trail. You couldn’t get too far if you tried.
The whole route around the lagoon took a hit as well. There are numerous points where a fallen tree has been sliced through the middle at the width of the pathway it blocked off. Sawdust is all over the ground in some areas, but the trail is easily accessible without having to crawl over or duck under anything. The forest of the entire park is noticeably not as dense as it was when you peer into the now forbidden zone. There are a bunch of branches and trunks resting at various angles as well.
I’ll do my best to relay other things that I notice as things progress. It’s taking some time for the clean up to really take shape, but the park is massive in scale. Access by vehicle is one thing, but without the trails being open, what’s the point? I think that’s going to take the most time to recover from.
Be watching for some of our customers equipment in the clean up of the park. You might just see one of our controllers out there working.
It is probably a liability issue that the Park’s Board must prevent people accessing park. It would be feasible that a weakened tree, or partially fallen tree could fall across the pathway & kill a pedestrian.
I am glad to see someone is giving updates on the situation in the park. I am bummed as I am sure all of you in Vancouver are. We were thinking of coming to Vancouver for a vacation this summer but now I am uncertain if we should come. Is there any talk on when the seawall will be rebuilt and is the park still going to be beautiful or have you really lost 3/4 of the trees all over the park. My kids wanted ride bikes through the park in June. Will this even be possible?
Sonne, check out the post I made today about Stanley Park and its current condition. Your comment inspired me to issue another report.
Although I realize the space we all cherish has changed forever, I cannot help but wonder what is being done with the fallen lumber. I vote that the board feet be sold, and the proceeds donated to local food banks or to shelters for the homeless. Or, are the die-hard loggers who have walked their children and grandchildren through the cathedral groves with mouths watering, successfully lobbied to gain the rights to remove this old growth, only to feather their own selfish nests.