It’s my understanding that the materials used to build the cabin at Peden Lake were brought in on foot and wheelbarrow and not by motor vehicles as suggested in a previous letter.
Also, to suggest that the trails in the park area of the Sooke hills would disappear if not for vehicles is just plain ignorant. East Sooke Park, Juan de Fuca, West Coast Trail, Olympic National Park, and hundreds of other parks in the area, with great trail systems, do not require vehicle traffic to keep their trails open.
It seems to me the silent majority loves the fact that the Sea to Sea Park is vehicle free.
Although access to some parks may be difficult for a few people, this is not a basis from which to argue access for vehicles. Parks are intended as a place to enjoy not just the visual beauty of nature but the sounds as well.
There’s a book written by Gordon Hempton, who lives near Port Angeles, called One Square Inch of Silence. It explores the facts about sound, health and environment as well as details his mission to preserve quiet in his own home park. It’s an eye and ear opening read, and in an ever noisy world, his mission to preserve the resource of natural silence is not unwarranted.
It’s my feeling that the groups involved in eliminating vehicle access in this park area 10 years ago should vision. To have a place like this so close to a large urban center and surrounding municipalities is an absolute gem that adds to the quality of life and strengthens the biodiversity of this area.
Tom Eberhardt
Sooke
