"We're not going to subject them into a den of grizzlies. Race organizers will reroute the racers if grizzly bears are feeding in the huckleberry patch, she said. They're very much in tuned with what's going on." "They are ambassadors for the outdoors and wildlife. "All of our athletes are outdoor aware," she said. She said that competitors are conservationists with backcountry experience and will take precautions when travelling through the area. "(PWA members) are really upset that the government continues to allow this commercialization of the backcountry."Īccording to race director and Primal Quest CEO Maria Burton, the organization has been planning the race in coordination with the province for around two years. "If you continue to break the core principle within the agreement, eventually the result will be we can't stay within the agreement anymore," he said. McEwan said the lack of consultation represents a threat to the longstanding relationship between the province and the PWA. The PWA and the Village of Pemberton have come out against the proposal. The province is currently considering a land-use tenure proposal from Blackcomb Helicopters that would allow it to build three new heli-biking trails in the TOLRA. "The government welcomes us in as a partner, but then continues to bombard us with commercial enterprises-be they bikes, horses, or whatever." "You would think the first thing they would say is, 'Hey what do you guys think about this? Let's work together on this.'
"This is again an example of how overworked and disorganized this government is, that they can't even discuss this with their partners," said McEwan. 20-after the province gave race organizers the go-ahead. McEwan said he wasn't notified that the racers would be travelling through the area until Aug. "Human presence - as scientists will tell you - displaces bears from their food source," said Allen McEwan, president of the PWA. The PWA is raising concerns, because the race route takes competitors through the Tenquille Creek Huckleberry patch, an area that has been identified as an important feeding ground for the Squamish-Lillooet Grizzly Bear Population unit, which is considerd a "threatened" population by the province.Ĭompetitors will travel through on an old forest service road.
6, competitors will travel through the Tenquille area to the Owl Lakes Recreation Area (TOLRA), a large wilderness area that the PWA manages under the guidance of a provincial recreation officer. Primal Quest will see 40 competitors travel 500 kilometres by foot, bike and canoe, from Lillooet to Squamish.Īs part of the race, on Sept. The Pemberton Wilderness Association (PWA) is raising concerns about a multi-day adventure race that will take racers through important grizzly bear habitat.
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