Watersprite Lake: Successes and Lessons in Recreation Management
Webinar Summary
The power of relationship building was the key message from the ORCBC webinar on June 2 focused on lessons learned in visitor use management at Watersprite Lake.
A panel of speakers included members of the British Columbia Mountaineering Club (BCMC), who developed the area, and a representative from Recreation Sites and Trails BC who helps manage the area.
Greg Hamilton, is the current BCMC president. greg.hamilton@bcmc.ca
David Scanlon, the past president of the BCMC and current president of the BC Mountain Foundation. Watersprite exists because of David’s vision and hard work. david.hiker@gmail.com
Cliff Eschner, a long term BCMC member. Currently he is one of the operators of the Watersprite Rec Site on behalf of the BCMC. cliffe@live.ca
Alistair McCrone, the District Recreation Officer for the Sea to Sky District. He played a pivotal role in the club’s response to the hut and trail’s popularity. alistair.mccrone@gov.bc.ca
The backstory
After a decades-long hiatus in backcountry cabin building, around 2005 the British Columbia Mountaineering Club decided it was time to build a new one. They chose Watersprite Lake, a sub-alpine gem west of Squamish, accessible off a logging road maintained by a run-of-river hydro project. It took a decade to get all the permissions and plans in place. In that time hiking and mountaineering had grown in popularity, social media had taken over from guidebooks, and interest in new places to recreate had exploded, particularly in the busy Sea to Sky region.
When the hut opened in 2016, the new trail access into an alpine playground immediately attracted more people than the hut could accommodate. Fuelled by Instagram posts, day hikers and overnight campers ascended in growing numbers. Random camping and thousands of day visitors quickly had a detrimental impact on the sensitive sub-alpine ecosystem and the visitor experience.
On a particularly busy day in 2020 there were 114 cars in the trailhead parking lot, 263 people hiked into the lake, and there were 47 tents set up in the area. The place was being loved to death.
The response
The BCMC and the local Recreation Officer recognized the negative impact the high number of visitors were having on the area. The BCMC collaborated with Recreation Sites and Trails BC to quickly transition the area from Crown land with a use permit into a sanctioned Recreation Site. Turning it into a Rec Site allowed the club to more actively manage all types of use in the area and for Rec Sites and Trails to contribute to the maintenance of the area. Together they used several tools to reign in recreational use to a more sustainable level:
Building a campsite with tent pads
Adding outhouses at the trailhead, campsite and end of the trail
Implementing a camping fee and reservation system
Paying camp hosts to stay at the campsite from June until Thanksgiving
The BCMC developed the reservation system in-house and are happy to share information on it with other clubs and groups.
The goal
In one word: sustainability. And that’s not just restricting use to ensure the sensitive alpine ecosystem can handle the human traffic. It’s also financial sustainability–the camping fees offset the costs of maintaining and running the campsite. As well, the BCMC invests enough in maintenance and camp host time so that everyone who visits the area has a good experience and buys into preserving the same experience for the next guest.
Funding
The BCMC raised the money to build the hut and the campground. The campground fees offset the cost of maintaining the site and paying the camp hosts.
3 lessons learned:
Build and maintain strong relationships
Three types of relationships were key.
a. BCMC and Recreation Sites and Trails BC. The two groups had worked together for years, developing trust that made the sanctioning of the new Rec Site easier. BCMC had shown they would do what they said they would do over and over. By managing other backcountry huts they had proved they could run a camping fee reservation and fee system
b. BCMC and partners. Including First Nations, the local snowmobile club, the run-of-river hydro company and others. Years of working well with these partners smoothed the way.
c. Camp hosts and visitors. To encourage compliance with rules and help keep the campsite clean and quiet, the BCMC acts like a business. They go out of their way to create a positive experience for visitors, shovelling off the tent platforms in the spring to ensure they are ready for the first visitors, cleaning the sites every weekend, and the camp hosts actively engage visitors and share information before and during the trip.
2. Find the balance
For the public to cooperate there needs to be a balance between rules and regulations and enough access and freedom. The number of campsites needs to be high enough so people aren’t frustrated by the limited access. The camp hosts create a personal connection with visitors, which helps with education about the rules and compliance.
3. Plan for success
The number one lesson learned in the whole Watersprite experience is that creating new recreation experiences today requires more forethought. Or as Alistair McCrone put it “You can’t make access better without the infrastructure to deal with the inevitable uptick in use.” That means building the campsites and outhouses and developing a reservation system and host plan, before opening the trail and the parking lot.
Stay Connected
Don’t miss the next webinar! Stay up to date by subscribing to our newsletter. It’s the best way to hear about upcoming webinars, events or outdoor recreation news. Or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.
Questions, comments, or webinar topics you would like to see? Email us at info@orcbc.ca
Support Our Work
As a non-profit organization, we rely on supporters to keep our programs, resources, and advocacy going so that BC can have enjoyable and responsible outdoor recreation opportunities. A tax-deductible donation today makes a big impact for the outdoors tomorrow.