Lab 5 consisted of producing an evaluation of the appropriateness of The Garibaldi at Squamish ski resort, through creating maps and a project report. This information was to be presented for the projects proponents, Northland Properties and Aquilini Investment Group of Vancouver.

See the end of this post for the memo, or click here for a PDF version of the full assignment.

Accomplishment Statement:

This lab was very detailed an required an in depth analysis of the region, in the final format of a project report. I furthered my knowledge about many ArcGIS tools, such as the union tool. Using this tool to unite layers before making certain calculations provided much more accurate answers compared to the method used at the beginning of the lab.

Reflection Questions:

When working on environmental projects, you sometimes become involved in proposals that you do not ethically believe in. Do you personally think the project should be allowed to continue? Does this differ from what you wrote in your memo?

For the memo, I had to write from the standpoint of someone who was hired by the project proponents to evaluate criticisms about the project, and make recommendations for what needed to be done to continue the project. Personally, I do not believe that another ski resort should be implemented in this area. It is concerning that decent portion of the land would not be viable for skiing due to its elevation, as well as that over half (about 56%) of the proposed project area contained protected areas. Squamish is also not very far from Whistler Blackcomb, which is a hugely popular ski resort, and therefore building a new resort so near by may not be a very wise economic decision. My personal opinion does differ from the positive outlook that I portrayed in my memo. The memo what prepared for the project proponents who have already invested some time and money into this project, and therefore it was in my best interest to try and provide them with information that would aid them in continuing their efforts.

Final Memo:

The full project report that I created for this lab is as follows. Click here for a PDF version of the full assignment.