The Pellk Wil鈥檈m trail gets its name from the hereditary ancestral name of the Lewis family of the Squamish Nation who fished in this area when the Mamquam river ran south to the present Blind Channel.
Squamish Nation hereditary names are assigned at birth by the elders. These names can be traced back many generations and are considered property belonging to that family. They are subject to traditional inheritance conventions of the Squamish Nation, which place a great responsibility upon the family.
Hereditary names have meanings that can only be revealed after sensitive discussions with the elders. Most of these names refer to ancient events or places.
Pellk Wil鈥檈m Trail grew out of the work of the Mamquam re-watering project of 2005 that diverted fresh water from the Mamquam River into the old area of flow of the southbound Mamquam River of 1921.
The 1922 dike did dry out the old tidal channels north of the Squamish Adventure Centre and rendered the area unfit for salmon fry to acclimatize to brackish water before heading off to the ocean.
Introducing fresh water through the sluice gate and under Centennial Way has rejuvenated these wetlands and salmon are slowly returning. Over 100 chum salmon were counted in the Pellk Wil鈥檈m channel this autumn.
This name was assigned to the channel in recognition of the efforts made by the Squamish Nation to protect our natural heritage.
The Squamish River Watershed Society continues to monitor the work in this area.
聽Bear hibernation will be ending soon. This means that our black bears will be actively seeking food after their long fast. Their first choice will be green feed to replace lost vitamins, and that means the skunk cabbage and grass that sprouts after the snow melt.
Be careful on the trails and do not leave any attractants. Help keep human/pet/bear conflict to a bare minimum 鈥� pun intended.
聽This residential area is rapidly filling up with more homes planned along Finch Creek and southward. People living here will need access to the trail network and links to Crumpit Woods are being investigated. The Pipeline route may be available after the new LNG pipeline is completed. In the interim, a possible trail up Handsaw Hill from just east of the asphalt plant will be surveyed.
Land ownership issues preclude most of the more accessible routes into the Crumpit mountain area.
Fostering environmental stewardship is a guiding principle of the Official Community Plan (OCP).
This means that expansion and developments must ensure that there are no negative impacts on local terrain and ecology. This Finch area is wetlands and is designated as an Environment Sensitive Area (ESA). We all need to be vigilant that construction work and storm-water barriers do not damage this ESA.
