Roundtable brings together 60 leaders from the Shuswap to discuss regional trails

SHUSWAP – Expanding the trail network is important to the lives of the people who live around Shuswap Lake, and a group of regional leaders just wrapped up meetings to discuss the future of those trails.

The second annual Shuswap Trails Alliance roundtable was held last week to discuss pedestrian routes through nature in the area. The 60 person meeting brought together leaders from around the region to discuss issues like protection of cultural sites, management of of sensitive alpine spots and inventories of existing recreational use, according to a media release.

The roundtable also served as a place to discuss future trails and trail naming protocol, including a push for improved trail connection between Salmon Arm and the Secwepemc communities around it and the continued priority of the Sicamous-to-Armstrong rail trail which will connect the Okangan to Osoyoos.

The organization’s executive director Phil McIntyre-Paul says help from large organizations like the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association and Interior Health Authority shows the importance of trails to the Shuswap lifestyle.

"This is the forum for us to link our efforts strategically with interior B.C. and the wider province,” he says in the release. “Leadership from these organizations are willing to travel and meet with us which is a strong indicator of the importance of what we're attempting to do together."

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