By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: June 17, 2013
They were supposed to tell a tale of how forestry evolved and shaped the province, but the yarn the log books now spin is one of neglect and collective amnesia.
Log books were first commissioned by the Squamish council almost a decade ago at an estimated cost of $200,000 to celebrate the rich history of forestry, but the books–and the story they tell–are still in the dark for lack of funding.
Walk along the muddied path, parallel to the train at the West Coast Railway Association Park, and you will catch a glimpse of how the present shames the past.
Standing amidst the grass that slowly creeps up are the plinths, empty and barren, stripped of their purpose: To hold the 14 log books that capture the history of West Coast forests.
But log books are nowhere to be seen. [manual_related_posts]
Look closely, and you will notice a long, yellow container. This is where the log books have remained locked for the past three years, waiting to literally see the light of the day.
From the Loggers Sports Ground to the adventure centre, and then back to the Loggers Sports, and now finally to the West Coast Railway Park for the past two years.
“We hope to get funding in place this fall to install them,” Ken Tanner, the manager of the West Coast Park, told the Reporter last year.
Artist Glenn Greensides created the log books in 2004 at the Loggers Sports Ground.
Carved wooden pages with images and words were attached to the logs creating the effects of a giant wooden book. Each of the 14 books represented a chapter in the history of West Coast Forests.
The books were placed in a shed on the grounds for a long period of time. In 2007, the council moved them to adventure centre.
But soon, the decision makers felt they needed to move them from the adventure centre to free up space for tourism operators who wanted to advertise there.
The then SSC director, Rob Kirkham, also felt the adventure centre was not the right place for them.
“It’s dark there and they are jammed together. They don’t really fit in there,” Kirkham said.
And they went from the adventure centre into a container where it’s probably quite dark and they are jammed together.
Tanner has been trying to find a donor who can help with the getting the log books out, but hasn’t found anyone yet.
He estimates it would take $30,000 to move them out of the container and place them on the plinths so they can tell the story they were supposed to tell.
Dave says
When the Water Front Initiative gets going/if it ever does, build an information /tour centre there and put them inside….or will it need a $10,000 special commission to decide that?! Wow, this town is amazing. …A source of cynical amusement though.
How can it cost $30,000 to move them? You need a weather cover, a truck and a front-end loader. the District has the equipment and we have many potential volunteers in the town….Get on with it. If we have a problem in this this town, its well illustrated by this kind of silly dilly-dallying.
Muriel Shephard says
Were the log books commissioned by the council of the day? I seem to remember that they were made then ‘given’ to the district – with a price tag. Anyone remember what really happened?
Jason Bechard says
This is DISGUSTING!
Logging is/was and will probably always be a part of Squamish. Get used to it you rural wanna-be rejects. These are beautiful works of art and should be shown to the world. Trying to bury this towns history because it doesn’t suit your tree hugging lifestyle is INSULTING to the people that live and died to make Squamish what is today. SHAME ON YOU PEOPLE!!!!
Maybe someone should talk with Chances about putting them out on their property. They saved SAM (Squamish Axe Man) from becoming scrap when the council and Adventure Center decided to oust him. People are always stopping to see SAM now in front of the casino. Maybe they could landscape a little and in cooperation with Squamish Nation put these displays out for the public to see.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana
Dave says
Right on Jason!
What right have you, Mr. Mayor, to, apparently almost unilaterally, decide that the Adventure Centre was “inappropriate”? You should be the one ,with due diligence, to hurry to find a new place .
I do like the idea of approaching First Nations for some help in all this.
dp says
So much misinformation, almost sickening to read. No wonder we have time consuming useless situations. The location and costing of same should have been determined at the time Greensides was commissioned to carve the books. There is not further discussion warranted, WCRA has taken on the task and with a little funding the log books will be prominently displayed.
Dave says
Good, dp, but they have not been displayed properly as yet and it has been YEARS of shilly -shallying…so where is the “misinformation” that sickens you so much? I just responded to the article above, correct or not!