The Sunshine Coast Trail (SCT) was conceived in 1992 when a handful of outdoor enthusiasts realized the amount of accessible old growth on the Upper Sunshine Coast was vanishing. They formed the Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society (now known as qPAWS), a registered non-profit charitable society, to set aside protected areas linked by forested trail corridors.
Over the years qPAWS has attracted many members, somewhere around 500 in total. Members get involved on a number of levels — from financial or in-kind contributions to trail-building/maintenance and hut-building to lobbying for the protection of the trail and other green spaces in this area. Every contribution is valuable and much appreciated.
Rebecca MacPherson, Rotary International District Governor, presented Eagle Walz with the Paul Harris Fellow Award at a Rotary Club of Powell River meeting on Wednesday, September 26, 2012. The award is the highest honour a club can bestow on a person, either a member or non-member. The award acknowledges “service above self” which the individual has offered to his or her community. For those who don’t already know, Eagle has spent the last 20+ years dedicated to leading the effort of developing and building the SCT and protecting greenspace in this area, and it is for this effort that he was recognized. Eagle was one of two non-members to receive the award that night.
There are lots of ways you can get involved with the Sunshine Coast Trail. First, if you haven’t done so already, hike it! The best way to protect the trail is for people to use it — so please do, and be sure to sign any guest books you come across so that we can keep track of trail usage.
Second, consider coming out to volunteer with us — help with trail maintenance, cabin building, and more! See the volunteer page for more information. We always are grateful for donations of time and/or resources to help with various trail projects. Find out more on the donate page — and be sure to become a member and join our Facebook page to keep up to date with events, work parties, trail information/changes, and more!
Finally, spread the word! We are raising the profile of the trail daily, and your recommendations to others are valuable to us.
Questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us.