When Dan Quigley's grandchildren ask him when they can visit Avatar Grove again, he's at a loss for words.
"I've been taking them there since it opened," said Quigley, a long-time resident of a summer property in Port Renfrew. "They used to say, 'Papa can we go see the granddaddy trees?' Now, when they ask when can we go and why it's still closed, I have no answer, nobody does."
Avatar Grove and recreational site was temporarily closed by Recreation Sites and Trails BC (RSTBC) in 2022, and trail maintenance has been disallowed since 2018 because the RSTBC had determined that safety and sustainability concerns must be addressed before reopening public access. In 2020, the RSTBC commissioned a Sustainable Forest Management Plan and Trail Redesign Plan to identify issues, provide solutions, and address safety and sustainability concerns.
"Although I have never seen the Sustainable Forest Management Plan, I have heard it noted concerns about impacts from the high volume of recreational users and the need for a more robust trail system at Avatar," Quigley stated in a recent letter to various entities at RSTBC, Juan de Fuca Electoral Area director Al Wickheim, Langford-Juan de Fuca MLA Ravi Parmar, and BC Premier David Eby.
"I understand that after the Sustainable Forest Management Plan was completed, an initial trail redesign plan was also prepared for Avatar Grove," Quigley noted. "However, RSTBC has now decided that a further comprehensive plan would be required because of geotechnical and hydrological concerns and so that accurate cost estimates can be made for the site before any new construction work can proceed."
Until then, the site remains closed, and the Ancient Forest Alliance has not been allowed to maintain the trails since 2018, leading to their steady decline, he added.
"It appears that the bureaucrats at RSTBC are the final hold up to the reopening of Avatar Grove," Quigley said. "It's 2024, and many tourists still visit Port Renfrew to see Avatar Grove. Yet for years, Avatar has remained closed to the public, who travel from all corners of the world to see the big trees and spend money in our community."
Quigley called on everyone he sent the letter to to secure the necessary funding to open Avatar Grove.
"I ask all of you to call on RSTBC, the Juan de Fuca regional director, our MLA and premier and ask when the necessary funding will be secured for the trail planning and reconstruction and to take accountability on when our beloved Avatar will be reopened," Quigley said. "The local economy of Port Renfrew and the enjoyment of its visitors are suffering each day there’s further delay. "
TJ Watt, a campaigner and photographer with the Ancient Forest Alliance said his organization campaigned from 2010 to 2012 to protect Avatar Grove, with assistance from the Port Renfrew Chamber of Commerce, and worked on the boardwalk and trail upgrades until 2017.
“Avatar Grove is one of the most famous, impressive, and beloved old-growth forests on Vancouver Island," Watt stated. "Over the past decade, it has become the bread and butter of ecotourism in Port Renfrew, a town that’s known as the ‘Tall Trees Capital of Canada'. People travel across the globe to marvel at Avatar’s burly red cedars and giant Douglas-fir trees and, in turn, spend money in the community, supporting local businesses. For many visitors, it’s often their first time in an old-growth forest, which is an experience that can be life-changing.”
While the Ancient Forest Alliance supports a new sustainable trail plan, Watt stressed that the grove cannot languish indefinitely, with thousands of visitors travelling long distances only to arrive and be disappointed.
"The province of British Columbia makes billions of dollars from logging old-growth forests," Watt said. "If the BC NDP government is truly committed to a "paradigm shift" in its approach to old-growth forests, they should invest the necessary funding to get the trail project at Avatar Grove underway so visitors can once again return and the local tourism economy of Port Renfrew can flourish. This is an iconic area of the west coast and must be made a top priority.”
In a letter to Parmar seeking support for the re-opening of Avatar Grove, Wickheim said that electoral areas are short-changed.
"It’s long overdue that the folks of Port Renfrew start getting their dues for the struggles they endure with economic uncertainty, power failures, water and sewer inadequacies and tourism opportunities," said Wickheim. "They want to work for it, the province needs to step it up and provide support in action, not just ideal."
Calls and emails to several contacts with the RSTBC were referred to B.C. government communications and public engagement.
The Ministry of Environment responded with a statement noting that Avatar Grove is a "unique ecological gem" on Southern Vancouver Island.
"We know how important it is to the local community and people eager to experience some of the Island’s biggest trees," the ministry said. "We understand how popular the recreation site is and that popularity has had an impact on both the safety of the infrastructure, and on the trees that have been impacted by more and more people walking on exposed roots."
The Ministry of Environment works to balance recreational value with cultural and environmental protection, and conservation and sustainability are key values that drive much of the work it does do, the statement noted.
"Planning for infrastructure upgrades is underway, and we appreciate people’s patience while we find the best path forward to ensure the ecological values of this spectacular park are preserved so future generations can enjoy the natural beauty of Avatar Grove," the statement concluded.
Quigley said his understanding is that the Pacheedaht First Nation and the Ancient Forest Alliance are committed to working together to move the project forward.
"We have three main attractions in Port Renfrew, Botanical Beach, Avatar Grove, and recreational fishing," Quigley added. "Recreational fishing has taken a beating because of new (federal government) restrictions, so we need to get Avatar open."
The Pacheedaht First Nation could not be reached for comment before the Sooke News Mirror's deadline.
