At the FMCBC Board of Director meeting in June 2020, the Board awarded funds for the 2020 Member Club Grant Program. This year, we’ve faced some challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We needed to delay the FMCBC AGM until September 2020 – and, yet, we’ll need to meet virtually due to meeting limits and physical distancing practices. However, we know the importance of outdoor recreation during the pandemic, so the Board felt it was important to issue grants to member clubs for much-needed backcountry projects this summer, such as trail enhancements and improved park access and amenities. And, not delay the work on these important member club projects.
These grants would not be possible without the generous donations from individual donors and by Back Forty Lifestyle Co., a British Columbia company that donates 5% of all sales to outdoor recreation in BC. Check out their website to browse and purchase the stylish and functional attire and gear available for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts.
Thanks to all member clubs who submitted applications—your projects were extremely worthwhile and we wish we could have supported them all! And bravo to the FMCBC’s Member Club Grant Committee for your hard work on putting these awards together.
Congratulations to this year’s Member Club Grant Program recipients:
UBC Varsity Outdoor Club
Amount received: $750
The project: Acquisition of the Phelix (Brian-Waddington) Hut Outhouse
The details: The Phelix (Brian-Waddington) Hut is a popular year-round hut near Phelix Creek and is accessible from Pemberton. The hut is open to all non-motorized users and provides access to beautiful scrambling, backcountry skiing, and snowshoeing on nearby peaks, such as Mount Gandalf, Shadowfax, Aragorn, and Peregrine. The trail to the hut is 9km at 500m elevation gain.
The FMCBC awarded the UBC Varsity Outdoor Club a grant to purchase building materials and tools to construct an outhouse at the Phelix Hut. Volunteer club members will dig the pit, transport the materials, and build the structure. The current outhouse was constructed in 1999 and is in poor condition and requires replacement due to the harsh subalpine environment.
Note: the construction of the outhouse occurs this summer in Vancouver, but the outhouse will only be installed once its safe to do so during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn about and book a UBC Varity Outdoor Club hut.
Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society (PR PAWS)
Amount received: $1000
The project: Trail markers for non-motorized use and directional signage along the Sunshine Coast Trail
The details: On average, 8,000 people trek the Sunshine Coast Trail, Canada’s longest hut-to-hut hiking trail at 180km in length. The trail is a local favorite from the Powell River and Tla’amin Nation communities and receives visitors from across the globe. However, due to the length of the trail, there is limited trail signage, which could pose a potential safety risk.
The FMCBC distributed a grant to the Powell Rover Parks and Wilderness Society to order and install over 400 trail markers to assist hikers when navigating the trail and to showcase when trails are designated for non-motorized use. The trail network includes motorized and non-motorized trails, where it’s important for hikers and motorized groups to know which trails they can access and avoid. The member club will donate fuel and labour to transport and install the trail markers across various access points on the 180 kilometre trail.
They estimate 160 hours of labour just to install the markers. Thanks PR PAWS!
Plan a hike on the Sunshine Coast trail.
The Alpine Club of Canada – Vancouver Section (ACC-Vancouver)
Amount received: $750
The project: Roof upgrade at Jim Haberl Memorial Hut
The details: We all know that winters in the backcountry can bring heavy snow and ice! In summer 2018 and 2019, the Alpine Club of Canada-Vancouver Section replaced the main roof of the Jim Haberl Memorial Hut, which is located at an elevation of 6,800 feet in the Coast Mountains and provides access to ski-mountaineering in March and April. The roof is more robust and expected to last at least 30 years.
The FMCBC awarded a grant to member club, the ACC-Vancouver, to transport and purchase ‘snow retention bars’ that will be installed across the whole span of the Jim Haberl Memorial Hut roof. The ‘snow retention bars’ were recommended by a professional roofing contractor and engineer consultant to extend the life of the roof and prevent accumulated snow from sliding off the roof towards visitors at the hut.
The ACC-Vancouver secured sponsors to transport materials and install the bars. They also will volunteer to help with the project, where needed.
Read more about the Jim Haberl Memorial Hut and reserve a booking here.
Fraser Headwaters Alliance
Amount received: $1000
The project: Upgrade and restore multiple sections of the Historic Goat River Trail
The details: The Historic Goat River Trail of the National Hiking Trail connects the Bowron Lake Provincial Park (near Wells) to the newer park at West Twin Provincial Park in the Robson Valley (near McBride). The 50-km trail is located in a pristine watershed that’s rich in old-growth forest and is ideal for long-distance hikers. You’ll find Chinook salmon, bull trout, mountain caribou, and grizzly bear along the route.
The FMCBC provided a grant to the Fraser Headwaters Alliance as part of the Member Club Program Grant to provide trail enhancements along the Historic Goat River Trail, including:
- Cut out deadfall
- Fix washouts and damage caused by avalanches and/ or stream course alterations
- Remove brush or reroute the trail, where necessary, to present erosion and provide safe passage
- Build and maintain boardwalks
- Maintain campsites
The project has considerable costs at about $12,000 in total. The work will include three components:
- flying in volunteers and ensuring they have proper gear to maintain and upgrade 10km of the most remote section of the Upper Goat River Trail.
- cutting out dead fall and brush and maintaining boardwalks, where needed, by another volunteer crew from the Milk River Trailhead to the east end of the Upper Goat River Trail (approx. 8km).
- maintaining more than 14km of accessible trails in the Lower Goat River Trail (cutting and removing dead fall and brush, and maintaining or installing trail markers).
If possible, please donate to the Member Club Grant Program to provide further assistance for trail enhancement and access projects for member clubs.
If you’re unfamiliar with the FMCBC Member Club Grant Program, which supports member club projects annually, view more info on the grant program – another perk of being a FMCBC club member! If you aren’t a member club yet, join us. View all member clubs.
Leave A Comment