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Changing Landscapes in Cypress Provincial Park
A Program for Grade 4/5 Students

The Hollyburn Heritage Society and staff from the West Vancouver Museum and the West Vancouver School District are currently developing this program. 'Making Choices' is a major theme. Participating students will look at key decisions that changed both the cultural and natural landscapes in Cypress Provincial Park and on the south-facing slopes of Hollyburn Ridge.

Although designed for Grade 4/5 students, the program could easily be adapted for students in Grades 6 and 7.

During the coming weeks, additions/revisions will be made to this page, including sub-pages for each topic below. We invite your questions, comments and suggestions.


Program Outline

(Last updated November 18, 2007)

Lesson 1. Vancouver’ s North Shore: Identifying, Locating, and Categorizing Major Natural and Cultural Features of the Landscape

Students name the natural and cultural features seen in a set of photos. These features are then located on an aerial photo and a map of the North Shore. Students learn how to distinguish between natural and cultural features.


Lesson 2. The North Shore Mountains: Changes in the Natural Landscape since the Last Ice Age

Students gain an understanding of the processes that have shaped the natural landscape of the Lower Mainland. There is a particular focus on how natural features (landforms) identified in Lesson 1 resulted from glacier retreat and erosion processes.


Lesson 3. Ecosystems in Cypress Provincial Park

Students learn about the characteristic features of the ecosystems which have evolved in Cypress Provincial Park (and on Hollyburn Ridge) after the last Ice Age and before the arrival of European settlers in the 19th century.


Lesson 4. West Vancouver - Then & Now: Changes in the Cultural Landscape

Students compare photos of West Vancouver taken during the last 100 years and identify the most obvious changes that have occurred in the cultural and natural landscapes. The transformation of a small, beachfront community dependent on local logging and mill operations in the early 1900's into a much larger, affluent ‘bedroom’ community at the beginning of the 21st century is discussed. Students speculate about when inventions such as electric lights, telephones, radio, cars, buses, TV’s, computers, computer games and cell phones first appeared in West Vancouver. The advantages and disadvantages of some of these inventions is discussed. Individual students decide which piece of modern technology they would be most reluctant to give up and defend their choices.


Lesson 5. Making Choices

In this lessons the following ideas are explored: Cultural landscapes change because of choices people make. Changes in cultural landscapes may adversely affect natural landscapes.

If we want to attain a particular set of outcomes we need to act. Action involves making choices. People who consistently achieve their goals have the ability to develop and implement effective action plans.

On occasion, we choose goals that turn out to have only short term benefits. For example, we may want to have a dog as a pet and make the decisions necessary to acquire one. For a while, we enjoy the companionships and unconditional love the dog gives us. Later, when we are older and our situation changes, we may find that our pet has become more of a burden then an asset. As the old saying goes, “We need to be careful about what we wish for.”

More important than the ability to choose and attain goals that benefit ourselves in both the short term and long term is the capability to choose goals that benefit large groups of people. Even well-intentioned choices may result in major problems. Our reliance on cars and devices that use electricity has caused great harm to ourselves and our natural environment.


Lesson 6. Loggers on Hollyburn Ridge

Students learn more details about the logging industry during the early days of West Vancouver. They speculate about why decisions were made to log the lower, south-facing slopes of Hollyburn Ridge. The challenges and rewards related to logging these slopes are discussed. Students consider alternative choices that might have been made and how West Vancouver would be different as a result of those choices.


Lesson 7. The First Hikers on Hollyburn Ridge

After learning about the experiences of the first hikers to explore Hollyburn Ridge, students consider these questions: Why did Hollyburn Ridge become a popular destination for hikers during the 1920’s? What did hikers see along the way? In what ways might these hikers think of Hollyburn Ridge as ‘a land of opportunity’? Ways in which the Hollyburn Ridge lands might be used are identified. The challenges, rewards and negative aspects for each use are discussed.


Lesson 8. The Ski Camp at the Old Mill Site

Students read excerpts from articles and journals written by Rudolph Verne, Eilif Haxthow, and Pollough Pogue and study relevant historic photos to learn about life at the first commercial ski operation on Vancouver’s North Shore mountains. The students then consider these questions: What led to Rudolph Verne’s decision to open a ski camp at the site of the abandoned Nasmyth shinglebolt mill? In what ways was the venture a success? What impact did the ski camp have on the cultural and natural landscapes? Why was the ski operation moved to First Lake in the Fall of 1926?


Lesson 9. The Evolution of the Hollyburn Ski Camp

The reasons behind the decision to move the ski camp to First Lake are reviewed. Next, students consider what they would need to include in a plan to build and operate ski facilities on Hollyburn Ridge in the late 1920’s. The students then learn how the Scandinavian owner/operators developed the Hollyburn Ski Camp. The impact of the ski camp on the cultural and natural landscape is discussed.


Lesson 10. A New Generation of Skiers

The term “recreational skier” is defined. Students then view photos and film of recreational skiers on Hollyburn in the 1920’s and’ ‘30’s. Similarities and differences between today’s skiers and those from the 1930’s are identified. Students then prepare promotional materials for a hypothetical Hollyburn Ridge ski resort from each era.


Lesson 11. Mountain Cabins on Hollyburn Ridge

Students read excerpts from the memoirs of Eilif Haxthow, Jim Graham, and Scotty Finlayson and study photos of early cabins to learn about Hollyburn’s ‘cabin-building’ boom in the late 1920’s and early ‘30’s. Reasons behind the building boom are considered. Issues related to the building and maintenance of cabins are discussed. The impact early cabin building had on the natural landscape the actions taken to reduce this impact are examined.


Lesson 12. Ski Jumpers, and Ski Racers on the North Shore Mountains

Students learn about the development of competitive snow sports on the North Shore mountains during the 1920’s, ‘30’s, 40’s, and 50’s and the Vancouver Winter Olympic competitions that will be held on Black Mountain in 2010. Similarities and differences between the two eras of competition are noted


Lesson 13. Post-war Developments in Recreational Skiing

The installation of rope tows at First Lake and Westlake and the building of the Hollyburn chairlift is the major focus. Students consider why these developments occurred and the impact they had on the natural landscape.


Lesson 14. Loggers, Environmentalists, and Skiers in Cypress Bowl

The history of land use in Cypress Bowl is reviewed. The viewpoints of loggers, environmentalist, and skiers are presented and considered.

Lesson 15. Two Proposals: A Mountain Biking Park & an Old Growth Forest Conservancy

Two recent proposals regarding land use on Hollyburn Ridge are examined - a Mountain Bike Park near the former Nasmyth shinglebolt mill and an Old Growth Forest Conservancy adjacent to that site. Students then debate the merits of each proposal. The status of each proposal is updated.


Lessons 16. 2010 Winter Olympic Venues in Cypress Provincial Park

Students learn about the building of facilities for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Cypress Provincial Park and the efforts made to protect ecosystems during construction.

Lesson 17. Cypress Provincial Ten Years Later: What Do We Want? How Do We Get There?

Working as individuals or in groups, students describe what they would like Cypress Provincial Park to be in ten years. They determine what needs to be done to ensure this happens and formulate a simple action plan.


Lessons 18 - 20. Individual Research Projects (Optional)

Using materials displayed on the Hollyburn Heritage Society web site and other relevant resources, students create research projects following Histor!ca Fairs Student Project Guidelines or those set by participating classroom teachers.