December 14, 2014

Shuswap Trail party tickets go on sale celebrating 10 years

Shuswap Trail party tickets go on sale celebrating 10 years

News Release
December 15, 2014

Shuswap Trail party tickets go on sale celebrating 10 years

The Shuswap, British Columbia – It started with a party and continues with a party! Tickets went on sale this week for the annual Shuswap Trail Alliance fundraiser and celebration just in time for Christmas stocking stuffers. And this year’s event celebrates the 10th year of regional collaboration on greenway trail development together. Tickets are now available at both Skookum Cycle & Ski and Ridetech in Salmon Arm.

The event has become a phenomenon in the Shuswap, selling out several weeks in advance each year. “We started getting anxious calls for tickets last month,” says STA chair, Winston Pain, noting the call for Silent Auction donations has also gone out. All local businesses are welcomed to participate. “We are very pleased to have Scarecrow back, along with EZRock’s Patrick Ryley, to get the crowd dancing and celebrating all of the accomplishments that we have all achieved in the region in 2014.”

Shuswap MLA, Greg Kyllo, recently acknowledged the collective work of the Shuswap Trail Alliance partners and volunteers in an official statement to the Legislative Assembly. The statement presented to the House thanks the staff, executive, and “amazing volunteers of the Shuswap Trail Alliance for their hard work in providing such an amazing opportunity for residents and visitors to experience the natural beauty of the Shuswap.” Check out the full statement posted on YouTube through the link at ShuswapTrails.com.

The 2014 Shuswap Trail project list is impressive, with over 50 projects, 60 volunteer trail events, 14,000 meters of new greenways added in six different parts of the Shuswap, over 120,000 meters of trails maintained, improved, and made more environmentally sustainable, and 160 new trail signs added. “When you walk, ski, or ride on a local trail, you can know volunteers and regional partners worked together to make that possible,” says Phil McIntyre-Paul, Executive Director of the Shuswap Trail Alliance. “The annual fundraiser celebration gives us the foundational resources to support that ongoing work.”

Highlights from the 2014 Shuswap Trail season include impressive upgrades to the South Canoe trail system, new additions to the Larch Hills Traverse and the Rubberhead trail systems sponsored by Recreation Sites and Trails BC, protection by Larch Hills trail stewards of wetlands thanks to funding from the Shuswap Community Foundation, new trail reroutes care of the City of Salmon Arm greenways program, upgrades to the Enderby Cliffs T’plaqin Trail thanks to the BC Parks Enhancement Fund, the creation of three new trails through the Columbia Shuswap Regional District Parks and Trails program, a growing partnership with the Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society thanks to the work of White Lake Trail Stewards, new promotional Nordic trail maps produced by Shuswap Tourism, and the completion of the Enderby/Splatsin Active Transportation Plan through a partnership between the City of Enderby, Splatsin Chief and Council, Interior Health, and the Shuswap Trail Alliance.

“2015 will be a pivotal year,” says Winston, noting the recent gathering of Secwepemc, Regional, Municipal, and Provincial leadership in November at Pierre’s Point to identify new priorities for the regional trails strategy. “It’s also year three of our 3-year pilot agreement with the CSRD, Salmon Arm, Enderby, and NORD. We will be evaluating what the next 5-years should look like.” Project priorities include new additions to existing regional trails, expanded active transportation planning, and of course, the pending opportunity to see the abandoned Sicamous to Armstrong rail line transformed into a world class greenway for walking and cycling. “So buy those tickets to the annual celebration and help to make all of this possible,” says Winston.

Tickets are available for sale at both Skookum Cycle & Ski and Ridetech in Salmon Arm. The annual celebration and fundraiser lights up deep winter on Friday, February 6th. Silent Auction donations can be dropped off at both ticket locations. For more information on the Shuswap Trails Annual Fundraiser Celebration and trails throughout the Shuswap visit www.shuswaptrails.com.

***

Photo Caption: Salmon Arm Secondary POLE leadership students assist with a new trail reroute and decommissioning project at Pileated Woods in partnership with the Shuswap Trail Alliance and the City of Salmon Arm greenways program. The volunteer project was one of 60 events hosted this year as part of the regional Shuswap Trail Alliance trail stewards program.

For further background on this release, please contact:

Phil McIntyre-Paul (Executive Director)
for the Shuswap Trail Alliance  
250-804-1964   
phil@shuswaptrails.com 
www.shuswaptrails.com

Winston Pain (Chairperson)
For the Shuswap Trail Alliance
250-804-6451
wpwinston2@gmail.com

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