Wild Pacific Trail Society Section H Completion Report January 24, 2014 Project Manager: Tel: Email: Jim Martin 250-726-7565 oysterjim@hotmail.com Project Report: Tel: Email: Heather Grimshire 250-266-2053 heather.grimshire@gmail.com or wildpacifictrail@gmail.com
Introduction Section H, now officially named the Ancient Cedars and Rocky Bluffs, is a collaborative project of the Wild Pacific Trail Society and the District of Ucluelet with funding assistance from the District of Ucluelet, Resort Municipality Program and the Island Coastal Economic Trust. This newly built trail is identified in the field as the 6.75 km to 8km distance marker and is located at the Northwest end of the trail. It can be accessed from the pedestrian pathway that parallels the highway leading into Ucluelet or by walking the Wild Pacific Trail from any of the other main trail access points. Trail users have the opportunity to experience old growth forest within the District of Ucluelet. The Ancient Cedars trail loop is designed to be a short walking trail, allowing visitors to view large old growth cedar trees. Walkers can also extend their stroll by continuing onto the Rocky Bluffs trail which leads towards the proposed Wyndansea Development. Walkers can also access the Artist Loops, Browns Beach and Big Beach sections by using this new trail. The Wild Pacific Trail Society endeavors to build a trail that appears to have been carefully placed in the environment. We selected a route that minimizes the need to remove living trees and that highlights the natural terrain. This trail showcases nurse logs, native plants, living trees and ocean views. The project project budget was for $166,500 and the final project costing/expenditure was $171,740.60.
Summary of work and methodology in relation to project objectives: This new section has added 2.15kms of walking trail to The Wild Pacific Trail network. Trail construction started in December 2012 and was stalled for several reasons over the first quarter. The following contributed to the delay of construction: Holiday season (Christmas/New Years), poor trail building weather, training for the trail building crew, and the largest unforeseen delay which involved access through private land. Trail building gained momentum in April 2013 and continued through until early July 2013. The main trail building crew was composed of three individuals. Jim Martin who was the Project Manager and one of three core crew members. The completion of this section of trail moves us closer to our goal of extending the Wild Pacific Trail to the southern point of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Long Beach Unit. The new trail has been constructed to the trail standards, as agreed upon by the Wild Pacific Trail Society and District of Ucluelet. These standards were implemented following 10 years of experience building and maintaining trails.
Statement of completion of project objectives: We have extended this world-class trail to the furthest point possible within Weyerhaeuser lands. This extension gives visitors another walking experience and entices Regional and repeat visitation. The Ancient Cedars trail showcases an impressive grove of old growth trees and is easily accessed. Children and individuals with mobility issues will be able to explore this section of trail with minimal effort. We feel that having an accessible grove of old growth within District of Ucluelet is a valuable attraction for visitors and residents. One of our objectives was to build capacity for trail construction through training and practical experience (I.E. courses in Chainsaw operation, First Aid) for crew members. The crew that worked with Jim Martin gained skills in trail building that will be utilized on future trail building projects. Number of people employed during the project: 5.4 months of employment was created by this project. (Based on a 20 day/month work week and 8 hour day) * Jim Martin reports that 108.5 man-days of employment was created for the trail building crew. Further employment was generated by signage and sign installation.
Number of temporary jobs created during construction: The core trail building crew consisted of three people. A Project Manager, excavator operator and a track dump operator. In addition, the primary contractor supervisor and an administrator were involved in the project. Other jobs were created through smaller temporary contracts: The signage design employed one person plus a part-time copywriter and a fabrication company in Vancouver. A local gravel hauling company was utilized to bring in the many loads of gravel needed to build the trail. Number of permanent new jobs created during construction: No permanent new jobs have been created by this project, but indirect jobs will be generated in the tourism sector. Our goal was to extend the duration of one s stay and create new visitations through the extension of the trail, which will in turn create jobs. Additionally, we aim to help increase visitations during the shoulder and 'storm watching'/winter season, which will help extend the season for tourist dependent businesses. Number of permanent new jobs created: No new permanent jobs were created. The benefit to the community will be through increased visitation with both overnight stays and day use.
Any other information related to the economic impact of the project: Direct benefits include the creation of three jobs during the construction phase. Expenditures for tools, equipment, material and supplies were purchased locally and that benefits individuals and business throughout the region. Indirect benefits will extend many years into the future as the trail draws more and more attention from all over the world. The length of the trail also requires multiple visits in order to experience the entire trail network, so repeat customers are created. The Wild Pacific Trail Society has been collecting trail user data for the past five-years. Our data shows that we see an increase in overall trail visitation following the building of a new section of trail. We will continue to monitor trail use and plan to install a pedestrian counter on this new section of trail. The Wild Pacific Trail Society is currently exploring the creation of an interpretive program featuring the Ancient Cedars trail. A pilot project is proposed for July and August 2014 offering guided walks along the Wild Pacific Trail. Although initially seasonal jobs would be created, the potential exists to offer hikes year round.
Any other pertinent project information such as lessons learned, best practices development, best practices etc Our biggest challenge was to obtain permission to access private land for this project. Due to the length of the trail and the terrain, we required a second point of entry. The only appropriate means of access was through private land. There were no alternatives and without this access point, we could not build the full length of the trail. We learned that access required for trail building projects can be a liability. With regards to trail building, Jim, our project manager, reported that the ground was significantly challenging for this section of trail. There was a hill along the route that was impassable to the gravel hauler equipment and the haul time was too far. A significant portion of the trail building area was swampy and the crew used logs to ballast the trail over the soft and occasionally rocky ground. Our mandate for the trail is to minimize stairs/steps to keep the trail accessible to scooters and strollers. In order to follow this mandate, switchbacks are used to gain elevation. The switchbacks require a larger footprint to turn and on soft ground this calls for extra fill. The crew was slowed down due to these situations as they tried to minimize the equipment s impact and as well as to repair any damage in very challenging corridors through old trees.
The project manager reports that an additional crew member would have been useful on this trail build. Specifically, a dedicated chainsaw worker. In conclusion this trail extension has exceeded expectations in both quality of the trail and experience and also for visitation. Increased donations at a donation box near that end of the trail reflects visitor appreciation and reports to Trip Advisors have recently pushed the Wild Pacific Trail to Number One Attraction on Vancouver Island. We feel this reflects well upon everyone s support and efforts. We applaud everyone who helped make this section of trail a reality!