Behind the town of Roberts Creek on BC’s Sunshine Coast lies the 140-hectare Mt. Elphinstone Provincial Park. Conservationists and a local eco-group, Elphinstone Logging Focus, are calling for a 1,500-hectare expansion of the park to include the surrounding endangered old-growth and mature “Dry Maritime” forests. The unprotected slopes are home to some of the top mountain biking trails in North America, and the Elphinstone Community Health Trail has been cleared by locals and stretches five-six km connecting the three existing Provincial Park parcels. The area is found on public or “Crown” land within Shishalh traditional territory (Sechelt) and is managed under BC Timber Sales and the Sunshine Coast Community Forest. Local NDP MLA Nicholas Simons has supported a moratorium within the 1,500 ha area and called for a new Land Use Plan for the Mt. Elphinstone slopes in his 2020 election platform.
