Dear Metro Vancouver Parks,
Thank you for the opportunity to offer my perspective on the proposed Regional Park on Bowen Island/Nex̱wlélex̱wm.
I’ve lived on the island for 24 years and continue to be passionate about what happens here. In 2004, I organized a folk festival to raise awareness about the upcoming sale of Cape Roger Curtis. In 2005 and 2006, I organized a three-day festival — Voices in the Sound — which included my historical musical about the island, to honour the past and dream the future. Many island groups participated in this collaborative festival, with a focus on appreciation and stewardship of the island. Here’s a link to the 2005 musical.
By the way, thanks again for permission to perform the musical in the meadow at Crippen Park.
In 2017, I created a reconciliation initiative — Knowing Our Place — with the support of the Bowen Library and the Arts Council to present workshops, arts events, an Indigenous Book Club, and presentations with Squamish Nation to help make reconciliation a reality. A big achievement was the Nex̱wlélex̱wm sign at the ferry.
So if I care so much, why have I been so silent about the proposed regional park? I suppose I was hoping for something more than just a cookie cutter concept. Something fresh, something that honoured the land, and made sense for everyone involved. And there it was in the recent issue of the Undercurrent. A proposal by Sheree Johnson and Edward Wachtman — an audacious imagining worthy of this spectacular place. The Nex̱wlélex̱wm Ecological Learning Reserve addresses Metro Parks’ stated goals of connection and protection in a collaborative, innovative way to provide “a world-class learning and research reserve in the Howe Sound Biosphere Region.”
Please consider this new model. In these times of flood, fire, heat domes, and other climate disasters, you have the opportunity to make a difference, to create a viable learning experience for visitors to the park.
Have courage Metro Vancouver Parks. Be visionary. Collaborate with learning institutions, reach out to Squamish Nation, and lean on the expertise of islanders to create a lasting legacy.
Very Sincerely,
- Pauline Le Bel
