The Lil’wat Nation, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) and Village of Pemberton issued a joint statement last Thursday (Oct. 6) requesting disc golf players immediately stop illegal use of a historical Lil’wat site to play the sport.
Local officials have dismantled unauthorized courses at the Signal Hill Registered Archaeological Site twice this year, apparently reinstalled both times after first being decommissioned in 2010.
“Some users have continued to trespass over the site and have reinstalled the disc golf course. Golfers, hikers and all recreational users are asked to respect this unique and culturally significant site by staying out of the fenced area and observing the posted signs,” said the statement.
It adds that damaging a registered archaeological site carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison or a $50,000 fine.
The site, located along the Lumpy’s Epic trail south of One Mile Lake, contains remnants of traditional Lil’wat pit houses, known as istkens. The site was used as a winter home for the Wolf Clan of the Lil’wat Nation and is one of the oldest in the region, said the release.
The SLRD has been working with Lil’wat to properly mark the site this year, and it was first discovered that the course had been reinstalled when officials arrived to build a small fence around the site “so people would know to stay away from that area,” said SLRD open spaces co-ordinator Allison Macdonald.
“Then last week, someone from Lil’wat was up there and noticed they had been put up again,” said Macdonald. “So this is the third time they’ve put up.”
Macdonald added that it wouldn’t take much traffic through the site for it to be damaged, which is why efforts to preserve the area are ongoing.
The Province has put some small, temporary signage on trees recognizing it as an archaeological site, but many had been ripped down, said Macdonald. The district and band were planning to erect a permanent, interpretive sign this week.
Meanwhile, the village is still working to install a disc golf course of its own through a grant provided by the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation.
The project and funding were announced last fall with hopes of having the course available for play this summer, but the Benchlands site that was originally selected was later scrapped after consultation with the local disc golf community. Construction has been put on hiatus as a final decision on a site has yet to be made.
Finding a suitable location for the course has been difficult and that’s been a big reason for the project’s delay.
“Because we’re in a valley, we’re really challenged by the slope,” said village communications coordinator Jill Brooksbank. “There were a couple of areas that we identified and thought might work, but then talked to Whistler Disc Golf who said they were too steep or had too much brush to clear.”
She added that the village is working to obtain tenure on a new piece of Crown land where the course can hopefully be installed. Earlier this summer, village officials said the best alternative appeared to be near One Mile Lake Park after another site near Signal Hill Elementary School was thrown out.
