The Garibaldi at Squamish project is a proposed year-round destination mountain resort on Brohm Ridge, 15 km north of Squamish on Highway 99. And in lab 4, we are to evaluate the impact the proposed ski resort will have on nearby environment. Below are the maps I created.
What I learnt:
- Use of buffer and colour representation.
- We learnt to acquire data independently.
- Hand-on idea of how GIS can be used in real life.
- Learnt when and how to use different spatial analysis tools.
- How to set an elevation line
Difficulties i encountered:
- The math component of the lab can be confusing
- Selecting the attribute wrongly, when I thought it is selected, it is not, causing my math to be wrong.
- Not being able to correctly change the layer arrangements.
Below is the assessment on the project:
Environmental impact Assessment on The Garibaldi at Squamish project
Introduction
The Northland Properties and Aquilini Investment Group of Vancouver proposed building a year-round destination mountain resort on Brohm Ridge called The Garibaldi. It will be 15 km north of Squamish on Highway 99, its close proximity to Vancouver (80 km north of Vancouver and 45 km south of Whistler) makes it an attractive location for Vancouver locals. The resort will feature 124 ski trails and 21 lifts, plus resort accommodation and commercial developments. The developers believe it would create 900 construction jobs and 2500 seasonal workers, the project will take 20 years to build. The project has recently been approved, 20 years after the initial submission of application in 1997. The proposal has received many backlash and raised many concerns, the BC Environmental Assessment Office released its report in 2010 stating the lack of information on the potential effect this project will have on local wildlife; Whistler summited a 14-pag letter opposing the project, stating the economic viability and impact of the project will have on the. Furthermore, many raised concern over the amount of snow the proposed ski resort will receive due to the low relief.
I agree with the proposed project since it could become another tourist hot spot just like whistler and provide an alternative option for Vancouverites and tourist alike; however, there are several worrying signs, global warming and irregular snowfall is a big concern, we must proceed the project with cautions.
Method
In this report, I used GIS to calculate and look at the most suitable place to build the ski slopes. The proposed ski slopes include several natural protected area and river catchment; these areas cannot be built on. I highlight all the protected area and relief with higher elevation, I also gave a buffer zone to the river catchment area which bear would likely appear. With all these elements, I formed a map which would outline all the suitable location for the ski slopes
Result and Concern
They ski slope is surrounded by natural reserve and rivers. Around 28% of the land is natural reserve and cannot be developed. 30% of the area is below 555m. All those natural features accumulate in the north. However, all the snow (with elevation higher than 555) accumulate in the North and east side of the proposed location. I proposed majority of the ski resort be built on the south side of the project area since it is nearest to the roads with the least amount of snow to be possibility in the way.
Due to climate change, there will possibly be less snow coverage in the proposed area. It will be hard to predict future weather pattern but it is very likely that there will be less snow. The amount of time needed to build the project is 20 years, climate pattern would have likely changed and waste produced during the construction would likely destroy nearby habitat. Natural wildlife will likely be disturbed and water pollution of nearby stream is likely. The wave of tourist will also likely drive animals away. Take the example of Grouse mountain, they receive no snow in year 2014 and needed to compensate each ski pass holder with a 2-day lift pass to Whistler. This caused huge backlash and snow count continue to be a problem in Grouse mountain.
Recommendation
Avoid building near rivers and animal habitat and stay at least 15km away from those protected areas in order to minimize disturbance, but also avoid people encountering with wild animal. Management companies must properly discard waste to avoid attracting animals nearby to the village also avoid building a reliance. Build ski slopes in area with 650m or above elevation in case of snow line retreat. Make sure company leave a “security deposit” before the construction of the project in case the plan doesn’t go through half way, this way the sum of money can be used to “clean-up” the area.
Conclusion
I believe with enough precaution and support from all sides, the project will go through with no trouble. I believe this project will give a much needed boost to the economy in the long run and hopefully become another skiing hot spot like Whistler. However, we must always keep the well-being of nearby wildlife in mind and avoid destroying the natural habitat at all cost