Investing in outdoor recreation - It's a win-win-win situation.

Kalamalka Lake along the Okanagan Rail Trail.  Taken with my iPhone 15.

Almost 50 km of decommissioned train tracks were torn up and replaced with a gently graded multi-use path linking the towns of Kelowna and Coldstream.  Travelling beside or near three lakes, the rail trail is a perfect way to explore the majesty of the Okanagan.  The inviting scenes, fresh air, and close proximity to wildlife spur many to explore what wonders await them along the route.  And it cost less than $30 million.

That may seem to be a lot of money, but the benefit to the community has been, and will continue to be, well worth the investment.  The trail opened officially in 2018, which doesn't seem all that long ago.  In its first full year of operation, the trail had almost 600,000 uses.  The benefit to the local economy over the last 8 years of operation has no doubt been greater than the original outlay of cash.  And it will continue to do so in the future as its popularity grows.

Of course, it's not just the local economy that benefits.  It makes people move.  They ride bikes along it, walk it, jog it, and may even ski or snowshoe along it in the winter.  Then there are the water sports like swimming, kayaking, and canoeing that occur as a direct result of the presence of the trail.  Has the trail made a difference in the health of the community?  That's hard to measure, but I am certain that it has seen a benefit.  Kelowna's Transportation Master Plan (TMP) has a 2040 goal of decreasing car dependency, and the Okanagan Rail Trail plays an important part of that.

Then there is the wildlife.  The improved trail is also an important corridor to wildlife, has cleaned up the degradation to the environment from the old train line, and given the public a good opportunity to experience it.  Positive interactions with wildlife help to protect it and encourage education by users of the trail.  Education is vitally important to maintaining ecosystems as it helps people protect our natural areas.

The Okanagan Rail Trail has been a win-win-win for everyone.  The community, people, and the local wildlife have all benefited from its creation.  We are lucky to have it.  We really are.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com


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