: PROFILE. Sunday, December 20, 1992 - North Shore News - 3 Cypress Park fate in Victoria’s hands Dec. 30 deadline for public input on recreation development plans A POLITICAL decision in Provincial Park, and almost North Shore mountain area sion from Victoria. The class ‘‘A’’ provincial park attracts over 1,000,000 visitors annually to its 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of parkland. Class ‘A’ provincial parks are lands set aside under the provin- cial Park Act for “the preserva- tion of their natural environments for the inspiration, use and en- joyment of the public.” The alpine and nordic ski areas of Cypress Provincial Park were once operated by the province, bur in 1984 Cypress Bowl Kecre- 1975 gave birth to Cypress 20 years later the fate of the once again hinges on a deci- By A.P. McCredie News Reporter Concept Plan in March. According to a company report, the plan — estimated to cost be- tween $30 million and $40 million ~— seeks to ‘‘enhance the facilities and services to meet demand and community standards.”’ The company contends that the 4&4 The proposed plan would make CBRL one of the largest employers on the North Shore, with over 800 employees, and an additional . 970 person-years of employment would be created during the construction phases of the project. 99 ations Lid. (CBRL) won a lease io operate the area’s recreation facit- ities from the Social Credit gov- ernment. The government also issued a '- 50-year renewable park-use per- _mit'to CBRL, covering some 600 hectares (1,482 acres). "AM. the facilities within the ‘permit area are owned by the company, which also maintains occupancy and controls rights associated with the winter ski season. Responding to a B.C. Parks re- quest to prepare a long-term de- velopment plan for public recre- ational services and facilities, CBRL submitted a Master Con- cept Pian to B.C. Parks in April. B.C. Parks and CBRL are now negotiating to resolve a number of park-use permit issues, including public access, parking and ski area rights. PROPOSED PLAN CBRL submitted _ its Master only way to finance the needed improvements for the ski area is to increase its skier capacity. According to the report, the “present capacity is limited by terrain availability, terrain balance (lack of suitable beginner and in- termediate terrain), poor quality and low capacity base facilities (an assembly of trailers), totally inad- equate sanitary facilities and a critical shortage of parking for winter use.”’ The proposed plan would make “BRL one of the largest eviployers on the North Shore, with over 800 employees, and an additional 970 person-years of employment would be created during, the construction phases of the projeci. i would also increase access to ski facilities for the physically challenged. A spokesman for the ski opera- tion said that over 300,000 skiers will use the park this winter. Ten years ago 25,000 skiers used the Cypress facilities in a year. But the plan is not without its critics, Friends of Cypress Provincial Park (FCPP) believe the proposed expansion is contrary to the intent of the Park Act and to B.C. Parks’ policy. “It is detrimental to the park’s natural environment and diminishes opportunites for non- commercial recreational pursuits in the park,’ the FCPP main- tains. OPTIONS REPORT B.C. Parks has released a ‘Draft’ Management Options’’ report, outlining three options — “x, Y and Z’’? — that are cur- rently being considered for im- proving Cypress park. @ Option **X"' — no expansion of permit area. ° Option “*Y’? — partial expan- sion. @ Option *Z’" — CBRL-propos- ed ski area expansion. The report is available at public libraries and from the Ministry of the Environment, Lands and Parks. The release of the options report is part of Phase One of the B.C. Parks’ planning process, The phase has included a public mecting on the issue and the de- velopment of a background report. The public has until Wednes- day, Dec. 30, to respond in writ- ing to the draft management op- tion repart (1610 Mount Seymour Rd., North Vancouver, B.C., V7G 1L3). Phase Two of the three-phase planning process is the analysis and summary of public comments and the preparation of 2 ‘‘Draft Master Plan’? to be presented to the public next spring by B.C. Parks. The Jast phase includes the final preparation of the master plan for the minister’s approval by the end of 1993, and a review in five years. If the CBRL plan is approved by B.C. Parks and the Minister «.f the Environment, Cypress Provin- cial Park would become the first **four-season’”’ park in B.C. CYPRESS BOWL MASTER CONCEPT PLAN Cypress Bow! Recreations Ltd. (CBRL) Plan: Would add 100 hectares (247 acres) of parkland to the existing ‘recreational area, resulting in a total of approximately 20% of the 3,000-hectare (7,410-acre) Cypress park as being designated for tradi- tional récreational use. Calls for 3% of park land to be added to CBRL’s alpine permit area. The remaining 2,300 hectares (5,681 acres) — 80% of the park — would remain in its natural state. Aims of the plan are to “‘pro- vide affordable year-round public recreational opportunities in keep- ing with traditional park values.” Some highlights of the plan: _ ¢ existing temporary trailer build- ings would be replaced with new buildings of rustic, traditional park-style architecture; _ * construction of modern ski lifts with increased speed and carrying capacity (one lift would be con- verted to a gondola during the summer); © ski trails would be improved and increased to serve beginners, the physically challenged, blind and sit skiers. *21 hectares (52 acres) of Hollyburn Mountain would be developed into ski runs and lift Jines; ®a day lodge would. be con- structed atop Mt. Strachan, offer- ing panoramic vistas of Greater Vancouver, the surrounding mountains and Howe Sound; ® Hollyburn Lodge would be de- veloped into a heritage museum. e all new facilities would be bar- rier-free, enabling access to per- sons of all physical capabilities; *a special day lodge would be developed at the new Hollyburr lift pod, named Independence Lodge, to foster outdoor recre- ation opportunities for the physi- cally challenged; *the Nordic area (Hollyburn Ridge) would be improved by redesigning certain trails and by adding seven kilometres of new trails; ® increased parking facilities at both Nordic and Alpine sites; loss of approximately two hec- tares (4.9 acres) of old-growth forest. ereforestration of previously clear-cut areas; © improvements would be made to re RL the trail heads of Baden Powell and Howe Sound Crest trails. B.C. Parks plan options: @ Option ‘X”’ (no expansion): © Current CBRL permit boundary area remains the same. © Improvements to existing alpine facilities would be in accordance with the park-use permit issued in 5985. © The Hollyburn Ridge area is not included in the option and would remain relatively unchanged. @ Option “Y” (partial expan- sion): ® CBRL permit boundary area would be increased to include the lower slope of Black Mountain. The expanded alpine area is cur- rently zoned Natural Environment and contains predominantly second-growth vegetation. © Option “2” (full expansion): *CBRL permit boundary area would be increased to include the lower slopes of Black Mountain and the Hollyburn Ridge area. ¢ Alpine and nordic facilities would be fully developed as pres- ented in CBRL’s Master Concept Plan and approved or modified through the public master plan- ning process. FEEZE2] INTENSIVE RECREATION ZONE Hollyburn BMountaln NEWS graphics Lorraine Wareham OPTION X-No Expansion B.C. PARKS department pian outlines option X as a plan that ‘‘would see the permit boundary area re- main the same.’' CBRL could improve existing facill- tles under this option, but the Hollyburn Ridge area is not included. INTENSIVE RECREATION ZONE Horseshoe f As CYPRESS Reacting PROVINCIAL PARK ny QO OPTION Y-Partial Expansion THIS OPTION increases CBRL’s boundary area to In- clude the lower slope of Black Mountain. improve- ments to existing facilities and proposed facilities would be in accordance with alpine and nordic ski standards. EEE] INTENSIVE | 7 RECREATION ZONE | 7 Be i aes \ - fr" ga’ Black jountain-y CYPRESS PROVINCIAL PARK < > “a 6 OPTION Z-Full Expansion THIS B.C. Parks option includes the lower slopes of Black Mountain and the Hollyburn Ridge area in the boundary permit. The CBRL master concept plan would be implemented to develop the alpine and nordic facilities.