SUNDRE — A new, interpretive boardwalk located in the natural area behind the Visitor Information Centre (VIC) is another step closer to being finished.
Once completed, the boardwalk will not only offer barrier-free access through a forested area to the Red Deer River’s east bank looking downstream with a clear view unobstructed by any man-made structures, but also provide an opportunity for everybody from students to seniors as well as locals and visitors to reconnect with nature while learning more about local flora and fauna.
But to avoid having people embark on the currently-incomplete boardwalk from the VIC, the final connection to the parking lot – which will eventually enable parents with strollers and seniors with scooters to go for a stroll – will be tackled last, said Mike Beukeboom, who for years had a vision for the project that he is thrilled to see slowly but surely becoming a reality.
“I’m hoping Phase 3 will allow folks to go from the parking lot at the VIC, hopefully all the way to river,” said Beukeboom, who also hopes the project will one day rival the quality of similar nature boardwalks in National Parks.
“And then we can have a Phase 4 after that to kind of connect some of the ends.”
Beukeboom said during an interview on Tuesday, Oct. 11 that work was well underway and nearly wrapped up for the second phase.
“Then we’re done for this year, and then we’ll start planning for Phase 3 for next spring,” he said.
A project of this scale, Beukeboom estimated, could easily run up a cost upwards of $250,000 or more had it been built through a contractor. But donations from corporate sponsors and the help of volunteers as well as support from the municipality have substantially facilitated the effort, he said.
“From the trail head to the viewing platform, we’ve added boardwalk and another section,” he said, adding a set of stairs immediately west of the platform was also replaced with a code-compliant graded ramp to ensure access regardless of a person’s mobility.
“That’s been constructed now and some boardwalk beyond that; as much as we have in the budget that we could do this year,” he said.
“We’re up to about 200 metres of actual boardwalk now.”
How much more the project will be able to progress during the next phase hinges largely on how much funding and other contributions including materials the volunteer-driven effort is able to secure from sponsors, he said.
“Next summer, we’ll do as much as we can.”
And by the time the boardwalk reaches the river – if not beforehand – another goal is to install educational signs that will feature both English and French names of local flora and fauna as well as Indigenous and scientific nomenclature, he said.
“Interpretive signs will start next year as well. That’ll give us the winter and spring to get that organized,” he said. “Because we do have people coming down and going for a walk; it’s just a beautiful spot down here. We’re really excited about what’s been done so far.”
Beukeboom expressed enthusiasm for opening educational doors not only for little children curious to learn about the world around them but also high school aged students with an interest in studying biology, and said he is also excited to offer an opportunity for seniors with reduced mobility to access a pristine view of the river.
He also praised the contributions of local business sponsors as well as all the hands on deck that offered to help.
“The volunteers are great,” he said. “It’s almost like having a crew of contractors.”
Bearing in mind the sensitive nature of the forested area, Beukeboom also said a decision was deliberately made not to bring in any heavy equipment to ensure minimal disturbance.
Although the portions of completed boardwalk for now remain inaccessible from the VIC parking lot to those with reduced mobility, the path that leads to the first two phases, including the one viewing platform, can be accessed on foot by briefly walking west along the berm by the VIC toward the Red Deer River Bridge and looking south into the woods until a nature trail appears.
