People passing by the Squamish Adventure Centre and Rose Park will soon be greeted with a warm welcome from two large sculpture figures.
The Sea to Sky Forestry Centre Society announced on Aug. 4 that the Salmon Welcome Figures Project will be permanently installed in the area over the coming months.
A pair of male and female sculptures will be carved from a red cedar log in collaboration with local Squamish Nation community carver, ‘See-appl-tun’ Art Harry, the society said.
“In the old days during the Spring eulachon fishery, all of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh people would
gather here,” said Harry in the release.
“It would be great if our welcome figures project could inspire people to do more to restore the
waters and their fish habitat.”
Society president Donna Wall lauded the project.
“Our Forestry Centre Society has been active in community exhibits on forest management,
community heritage and local forest history since 2007,” said Wall in a news release.
“Planning interpretive trails and future programming relating to the history and natural history
of the Upper Mamquam Blind Channel area has also been a big focus. This project takes us to a new level in our collaborations and education program goals.”
The society says it plans to install the welcome figures near the Corridor Trail at the Loggers Lane site the Forestry Centre Society leases from the District of Squamish to carry out programming and to build an interpretive facility relating to forests, products from the forests and local history.
This area is of special significance for the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh people, being the location of important
fisheries, ancient village sites, canoe travel along the Squamish River East Branch, and start of
the “Grease Trail” connecting to the territory of the Stl'atl'imx people, the society says.
Eric Andersen, speaking as a volunteer with the society, said the Adventure Centre, the Forestry Centre site and Rose Park are on the former Skwawmish Island Indian Reserve No.21, which was established in 1876, acquired by the PGE Railway company in 1914, and later sold off to the District and other interests.
