Behind the town of Roberts Creek on BC’s Sunshine Coast lies the 140 hectare Mt. Elphinstone Provincial Park. Conservationists and local eco-group Elphinstone Logging Focus are calling for a 1500 hectare expansion of the park to include the surrounding endangered old-growth and mature “Dry Maritime” forests. The unprotected slopes are home to some of the top mountain biking trails in North America as well as the now nearly completed Elphinstone Community Health Trail that has been cleared by locals and stretches 5-6 km connecting the 3 existing Provincial Park parcels. The area is found on public or “Crown” land within Shishalh traditional territory (Sechelt) and is managed under BC Timber Sales and the Sunshine Coast Community Forest. Local NDP MLA Nicholas Simons has supported a moratorium within the 1500 ha area and the call for a new Land Use Plan for the Mt. Elphinstone slopes in his most recent election platform. Photography by TJ Watt.
See this website for some photos of the area.
