STMS is a non-profit society registered in British Columbia and comprised of volunteers with a shared interest in enabling safe, enjoyable and environmentally responsible hiking experiences in the mountains. Our organization is responsible to our membership.
Who we are
Why we do it
Where we do it
Photo by Joe Lucas
What we do
In the upper Columbia Valley region (Canal Flats to Spillimacheen)
How we do it
OUR PURPOSE
OUR GOALS
1. Working with the provincial ministry responsible for recreation sites and trails to develop and maintain hiking trails on crown land
2. Work with government agencies and other organizations with similar ideals to promote trail use education, environmental stewardship and sustainable use of trails on public land
3. Provide current information, to the best of our knowledge, for trail and corresponding road conditions for the STMS maintained trails
4. Engage with government and industry to encourage them to maintain open and passable road access to trailheads
5. Advocate for hiker interests by actively liaising with government, other involved groups, and STMS membership to support achievement of STMS’s goals
OUR HISTORY
The society was created in 2001 by a small group of hikers with a desire to "give something back". At that time, an informal relationship was established with the B.C. Ministry of Forests. As STMS membership grew, their record of trail maintenance successes also grew, as well as their credibility with the government. By 2007, grant money from the Ministry supplemented the Society's membership income as the province relied more and more on groups such as STMS for assistance in managing the trails. A formal partnership agreement between the province and STMS was put in place in 2011 and current term goes to 2024. Through government funding and other grants over the years, STMS has accumulated an inventory of equipment and developed a pool of skilled volunteers who greatly contribute to the happy hiking experiences available in the Columbia Valley and neighbouring mountain ranges. Although our society advocates for the hiking community, we are not a hiking society or club. We do not organize or guide hikes.
Our initial trail maintenance work bee was completed by founding members John Ashby, Brian Logan, Norbert Schab and Paul Stewart at Lake of the Hanging Glacier.
The purpose of the society is to promote safe and sustainable hiking experiences by assisting in development and maintenance of hiking trails in the Upper Columbia Valley region.