Over the last few years of my life, while I’ve been living downtown, I’ve come to enjoy Stanley Park on a weekly if not monthly basis. In the summer, it’s home to one of our favourite beaches and in the spring, fall and winter it’s the scene of many treks, hikes, strolls and photo walks for John and me (and yes, we’ve even named our favourite tree).

One thing I’ve been watching closely for years has been the progress of the restoration of the park since the big storm of 2006 when thousands of trees were toppled by 120km/h winds and the Seawall was closed for months. John and I were out there within days and even did a video podcast a few weeks after that. As he frequently runs in the park he also did week-by-week updates on his site after that storm as well.

Today, I attended the unveiling of the Stanley Park Restoration Donor Monument, a tribute to those who helped rebuild the park with millions of dollars in donations, time, rentals, press, planting, and support.

The event took place at the newly-renovated Prospect Point lookout where the parking lot has been moved back from the edge of the cliff and there are now wide walkways and paths to get you to your ideal lookout location.

About the monument: 8 monolithic-like basalt rocks quarried in Squamish

About the restoration: $10.8 million has gone into replanting, securing, reshaping, and restoring the park and Seawall. Susan Mudick, General Manager of Vancouver Parks and Recreation also noted that 150 truckloads of trees were hauled off the Seawall during the clean up effort and 16,000 new trees have been planted in the park.

I met Raj Hunal, the Park Board Chair and saw Mayor Gregor Robertson speak. After the event he had a mini press conference where everyone was pretty much asking about how the city’s homeless are being supported during these very cold conditions that are upon us (and the freezes that are yet to come).

On my way home I walked along the Seawall to find *my* spot – if you’ve been reading this site for the last two years you may remember that I have been rather critical of the clean-up efforts, in particular this one spot on the Seawall that remained damaged for almost two years.

I am very pleased to report it has now been patched.

I spent three hours trudging around the park this afternoon and I had a really great time enjoying the nature that’s within walking distance of my home (I even took some time to stop by and see Pauline).

The Park will always be susceptible to mother nature however it’s up to us and the stewardship of the Parks Board to ensure money is spent wisely, trails and pathways are safe, and that the natural state of the forest and its wildlife is a priority.

Related posts about the park can be found in my Stanley Park category

Millions of dollars have been poured into reshaping Stanley Park after windstorms in 2006 devastated the park, money has been spent on everything from solidifying the cliffs that hang above the seawall to making trails safe. However, $9 million later and the seawall closed today due to a mudslide.

A section of Vancouver’s Stanley Park seawall, shut down because of a landslide, is expected to reopen Saturday.

A landslide approximately seven metres wide came down near Third Beach Thursday, blocking a portion of the seawall between Third Beach and the Lions Gate Bridge.

Contractors began assessing the damage today. Crews from the Vancouver Park Board will come in Monday to haul the debris away. [CTV]

For a bit of back-story… in December of 2006 a great wind storm tore through they city’s most prized natural wonder and it’s been in a rebuilding and replanting phase ever since (you can browse John’s archives or mine for coverage of the storm in 2006). My photos of the park are available in my Flickr set. [Miss604]

It took months for the park to fully reopen after 2006 and the seawall has been closed a few times since that initial storm. The last time I checked, the portion of the walkway in the photo below still had not been fixed – almost two years later.

Time and time again I have commented on the (slow) progress of the Stanley Park rehabilitation.

With the park and the seawall being one of, if not the most used and beloved attractions and resources in our city, I think they deserve a little more attention – the parking lots for tourists’ buses can be put on hold in order to make the park safe, don’t you think?

Yesterday our morning workout turned into a 2 hour power-walk in and around Stanley Park.

I packed a camera with me since it had been a while since I was able to check back on the restoration progress in the park and more specifically, I wanted to see how the Merilees Trail looked now [see Update from April 2008].

Merilees Trail – April 2008

Picnic time along the Merilees trail – October 2008

The “Siwash bunker” has new access; we no longer have to scale, jump, or crawl across roped bridges to take in the great views from the top.

Siwash Bunker Access – April 2008

Siwash Bunker Access – October 2008

The Prospect Point parking lot is now relocated away from the cliff (where they clearcut all those trees) with plenty of room for tour buses and paid parking.

The clearing at Prospect Point – January 2008

Where the road used to be at Prospect Point – October 2008

Hollow Tree looks like it’s in its worst shape yet. The tree behind it has been cut down, there are more cables wrapped around it and two pillars holding it up at the front and quite frankly it looks hideous.

The Hollow Tree – April 2008

The Hollow Tree – October 2008

I didn’t get the chance to follow up on “my spot” on the sea wall that I’ve been tracking over the last few years but John said it still hasn’t been repaired.

For a bit of back-story… in December of 2006 a great wind storm tore through they city’s most prized natural wonder and it’s been in a rebuilding and replanting phase ever since (you can browse John’s archives or mine for coverage of the storm in 2006). My photos of the park are available in my Flickr set.

Update: The Vancouver Park Board has voted unanimously for a 1,900 square foot addition to the Brockton Totem Pole Interpretive Centre. [News1130]

It’s one of the first stops all the tour buses make as they cruise around our city’s beloved Stanley Park and recently there’s been a proposal to expand the totem pole visitor centre to accommodate all of its visitors.

“The argument is we need to provide a washroom, bigger washroom, for the tour buses and the tourists that come through there because it can get congested at the busiest times. So, it’s a big project. They also want to expand the gift shop by about 1,400 square feet.” [News1130]

“The totem pole display area at Brockton Point is the most visited tourist attraction in all of British Columbia and it has an interesting history,” and contrary to popular belief, they were not native to the park. They were purchased and placed by the parks board over the last century [VPB].

Photo credit: David Drucker on Flickr

If you’ve been a reader of mine for a while, you’ll know I’m never really a fan of more paving, building, and demolishing nature for the sake of “tourism” in the park, and this is no exception.

I love the totem poles in the park, however if you would like to learn more about the history, culture and traditions behind them, I also recommend the Museum of Anthropology at UBC or the Royal BC Museum in Victoria.

I believe Stanley Park should be enjoyed as a park in all its natural beauty. I like that it’s a city park with amenities but when they start ripping up the entire reason we were drawn to the spot in the first place, it seems a bit silly.

Luckily there are some Parks Board members like Spencer Herbert who feel the same way: “My main concern is green space in the park,” Herbert told the Straight. “Stanley Park isn’t expanding but buildings in the park are.”

Running through the park this morning we saw tents and makeshift campsites all over the place. It sure would be nice to find homes for these people before we build another washroom with handsfree faucets for the next busload of tourists.