Tourists want to see Paradise on Earth
There are probably prettier places than Seton Portage and Shalalth – but we’ve not seen them. The St’at’imc community at Seton Portage and neighboring Shalalth know that visits by tourists will continue to increase year to year. After all, Whistler is just a couple of mountain ranges away, which is not too far to travel to see paradise on Earth. So the St’at’imc are already planning what kind of tourism industry they want to sustain their economy.
The entire St’at’imc Nation has rejected the industrial tourism ski-city proposed for Melvin Creek as being too destructive to environmental and cultural values.
However, the St’at’imc communities at Seton Portage and Shalalth have embarked on a plan to attract tourists interested in the local culture and ecology. A group of St’at’imc pathfinders has for the past several years been relocating ancient trails in the territory as a first step in developing hiking tours for the region. One of the trails they have relocated is in Lost Valley, which is only four kilometres from Seton Portage.
Other plans for a small marina and canoe rentals are the building blocks of a locally controlled, small-scale, sustainable tourism industry that will not blight the landscape while providing jobs in the community.
