Sheep Paddocks Trail stabilization project gets go-ahead

Seven years after completing work in the area, Metro Vancouver is feeling sheepish this summer.

Following a unanimous decision from Coquitlam city council to issue a conservation permit, Metro Vancouver is set to get to work Sheep Paddocks Trail this August, keeping the route a little higher and a lot dryer.

Located in ƛ̓éxətəm (tla-hut-um) Regional Park (formerly Colony Farm), the trail got an upgrade in 2018. However, Metro Vancouver’s plans to stabilize the southern bank were put on the backburner “due to funding constraints,” according to a Coquitlam staff report.

With the cash now available, Metro Vancouver is set to start work before Aug. 1, with a goal of finishing the project before the end of September.

To put the trail on firm footing, crews are slated to clear vegetation and re-contour the bank above the water level and install 1,298 cubic metres of riprap and topsoil.

Noting that “regular flooding and erosion issues” have closed the trail section in the past, the work also involves drainage improvements and compensation ponds.

Masses of roots and boulders are also set to be put alongside the trail to provide a complex habitat.

Running parallel to the Coquitlam River, the trail is eventually set to serve as a connection between the Traboulay and Mundy Creek trails, according to the report.

Metro Vancouver has worked with Kwikwetlem First Nation to ensure: “any archaeological resources are identified and protected,” the report stated.