Sea-To-Sky Communities Launch Awareness Campaign in Response to Dramatic Increase in Litter, Wildlife Conflicts and Environmental Degradation

Marketing Campaign Encourages Locals and Visitors to Minimize Social and Environmental Impacts

An exponential increase in litter, wildlife conflicts due to human negligence, environmental degradation caused by poor human behaviour, and illegal land use throughout the Sea-to-Sky region has prompted local communities to come together to launch a marketing campaign urging residents and visitors to tread lightly and minimize their social and environmental impact so they “Don’t Love It to Death.”

Starting this month, visitors travelling the Sea-to-Sky Corridor, which spans from North Vancouver and Bowen Island north through Lillooet, will see signage encouraging locals and visitors to behave more responsibly when enjoying the outdoors and the communities. Signage will be placed in visitor centres, in parks, on trailheads and beaches, using images of the Sea-to-Sky region with thought-provoking messages reminding residents and visitors to be aware of their impact, and respect the environment using the tagline “Don’t Love it to Death.”

The campaign is an initiative of the Sea-to-Sky Destination Management Council. The creative, developed by Whistler marketing agency Origin, will include printed materials provided to local businesses, posters, videos, and a social media program @dontloveittodeath. The campaign’s webpage www.dontloveittodeath.com includes practical resources on how people can reduce their footprint by enjoying the outdoors and community assets in a responsible, sustainable, and legal manner.

“The “Don’t Love It to Death” awareness campaign is designed to get people to think about their actions and the impact they’re having on the environment, wildlife and the people around them,” said Karen Goodwin, Vice President, Destination & Market Development, Tourism Whistler. “We want to change people’s behaviour by encouraging them to make better travel and recreational decisions that protect and preserve the places we all love.”

As one of Canada’s most popular destinations, the Sea-to-Sky Corridor is feeling the pressure of sustained population growth and a continuous visitor presence. Traffic along the Sea-to-Sky Highway has increased five percent every year since 2006, resulting in a dramatic increase in litter and other issues. Negligent and illegal behaviour is disrupting visitors and locals, often having dire consequences for wildlife and natural areas.

Excessive litter and garbage topped the list of nine “pain points” identified by approximately 600 Sea-to-Sky community leaders and residents who responded to two surveys and participated in 12 stakeholder input sessions on urgent regional issues. Additional concerns include environmental and resource degradation, human waste along public trails and in parks, illegal and disrespectful land use such as trespassing and damage to Indigenous cultural sites, transportation issues such as excessive traffic and inadequate parking, crowding and overuse, unprepared hikers and campers resulting in a spike in search and rescue calls, as well as wildlife conflicts due to human negligence.

These behaviours have had significant impacts in the region over the short and long-term, including:

• Highway contractors working on the Sea-to-Sky Highway had to increase the frequency of litter clean-up from weekly to daily over the past decade, particularly during the busy summer months.
• In March 2022, Divers for Cleaner Lakes and Oceans (DFCLO) removed 516 kilos of garbage off Bowen Island in just one day.
• Over the past year, the volunteer run Whistler Search and Rescue received more than 110 requests for assistance, according to its annual manager’s report, compared to 92 during the same period the previous year. North Shore Rescue received 226 calls for assistance in 2021, beating the previous annual record of 151 set in 2020.
• In August 2021, a bear was euthanized after it was seen accessing unsecured food in a tent around the Cat Lake Recreation Sites and Lake in the Squamish District.
• On May 27, 2022, the Cat Lake Recreation Sites and Lake was closed for approximately five weeks due to an aggressive bear actively seeking food from campers and entering tents to acquire it.

“People genuinely love the Sea-to-Sky region,” added Lesley Weeks, Executive Director, Tourism Squamish. “We all have a duty of care to protect our natural environment and cultural heritage for future generations. Ultimately, we want to instill an ethic of accountability and respect among locals, outdoor enthusiasts and the travelling public so that everyone can enjoy the many opportunities this majestic region has to offer.”

The Sea-to-Sky Destination Management Council thanks the Province of British Columbia and its investment in B.C. tourism through the Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program (CERIP) grants.

About the Sea-to-Sky Destination Management Council

The Sea-to-Sky Destination Management Council was created in early 2020 to implement the Sea-to-Sky Destination Development Strategy. The Council is comprised of community representatives from the Sea-to-Sky planning area, as well as organizations such as the Indigenous Tourism Association of British Columbia, B.C. Parks, the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation,  and the Ministry of Forests. This Council is focused on developing a Destination Education Initiative to address some of the challenges facing the region, such as unmanaged camping, increased need for search and rescue, and overuse of some areas, trails and recreation sites in both urban and rural locations. The Sea-to-Sky Corridor strategy is one of 19 destination development strategies produced between 2016 and 2020 to support the development of B.C. as a world-class destination.

Quotes

Kelly Greene, Parliamentary Secretary for Environment

“More people than ever before are discovering and enjoying our world-class outdoor recreation options, and that includes popular parks along the busy Sea-to-Sky corridor,” said Kelly Greene, Parliamentary Secretary for Environment. “Our parks play a critical role in preserving ecological, cultural and historical values. I encourage everyone visiting this beautiful region to use our parks responsibly so that we protect these spectacular natural areas and can enjoy them for years to come.”

Jen Ford, Squamish-Lillooet Regional Board Chair

“The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District is pleased to participate in the Sea-to-Sky Destination Management Council, and applauds the important work undertaken with the destination education project,” said Jen Ford, Squamish-Lillooet Regional Board Chair. “The SLRD stretches beyond what many of us traditionally think of as the Sea-to-Sky, and issues with regard to visitor behaviour affect all of our communities. The region offers some of the most spectacular areas for recreation, and while we appreciate those who come here to experience all that we have to offer, it’s important that visitors – whether a resident of the area travelling to another community within the region or from farther afield – understand how to travel responsibly and respectfully. We all have a role to play in helping to manage this. The destination education project will help address and mitigate some of the negative impacts of increased visitation to the area, helping to ensure that we protect these spaces.”

Karen Elliott, Mayor, District of Squamish

"We live in an enviable region full of opportunity for outdoor recreation and we care deeply about protecting the natural assets that contribute to the unmatched beauty of our Sea-to-Sky communities,” said District of Squamish Mayor Karen Elliott. “We sometimes get too focused on our outdoor pursuits that we forget the importance of how to protect nature and respect the needs of other visitors and the local community. We should all be aware of how our behaviour impacts our environment as visitors, and as locals, and I think this message will resonate with us all.”

Mary-Ann Booth, Mayor of West Vancouver

“It is the proximity to the natural beauty of this area that makes West Vancouver and the Sea-to-Sky corridor such an amazing place to live and visit,” said Mary-Ann Booth, Mayor of West Vancouver. “This innovative campaign is a way to remind us that we all have an impact, and we need to ensure we are doing our part to make it a positive one. It can be as simple as taking your refuse with you when you see garbage receptacles overflowing, so it doesn’t attract wildlife and condition them to enter the area. Reflecting on the Indigenous values and teachings of living with a ‘leave it better than you found it’ approach, we show our respect for the shared lands, the wildlife, and future generations.”

Linda Buchanan, Mayor, City of North Vancouver

“Everyone loves visiting the many green spaces across the North Shore,” said City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan. “But in order to protect our beautiful, natural environment for generations to come we must raise awareness about how to be better stewards of our parks, trails, and more. That’s why the City of North Vancouver is pleased to be collaborating with other communities in the region to educate the public on how to minimize visitor impacts and preserve these treasured spaces. We look forward to welcoming you!”

July 12, 2022