Join our team!

The Wild Pacific Trail Society is looking for people passionate about connecting people to Nature. We are currently seeking "Friends of the Trail" volunteers and special guest speakers to join our team. Contact us if you have a program idea or are interested in joining our Board of Directors.

WPTS Board of Directors

The Board meets once a month to oversee educational and trail building goals. The board is supported by a strong staff and enthusiastic District of Ucluelet partners. We also network with other non-profit organizations for programs. We are especially interested in amateur or professional naturalists to join our team. Email: info@wildpacifictrail.com

2023-24 Board Members:

Current Board Members, elected in 2023:

Jim Martin, Trail founder and manager
Don Ferris, Treasurer
Barbara Schramm, President
Julian Ling, Vice President
Keith Martin, Director
Rachel Stewart-Dziama, Director
Liam Ogle, Director
Melissa Boucha, Director
Ed Chernis, Director
Kevin Brown, Director
Vi Mundy, Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ FN Representative

Administrator: Shannon Szymczakowski
Ucluelet Council Rep: Jennifer Hoar
Director of Parks & Recreation: Abby Fortune

Nominations for Board members made by Members in good standing should be forwarded to WPTS.

Please contact us at info@wildpacifictrail.com.

Thank you for your continued support.

2020 Board Retreat

Planning for the future

Board members and our close partners have been attending yearly development sessions and continue to dream big! Plans are in the works for 2023 interpretive walks with our Trail Naturalist, program partners and special guest interpreters. We are also planning more interpretive displays, new trails and concepts for a Wild Pacific Trail education centre.

Stay tuned, this group moves fast!

Yearly overviews presented at AGM:

Opening of crows nest viewpoint 2024

Please contact info@wildpacifictrail.com if you wish to join our team. Mail: Wild Pacific Trail Society, PO Box 572 Ucluelet, BC, V0R 3A0.

Wild Pacific Trail Society (WPTS)

A small community's success story:

Behind every great visionary is a committee making the dream come true!

Formed in 1999, the Wild Pacific Trail Society is a registered non-profit organization. The Wild Pacific Trail Society board is comprised of a committed and passionate group of a dozen Ucluelet citizens with a wide and diverse range of skills, knowledge and experience. Each director is deeply committed to the vision and mission of the society. Board members work on individual areas of interest: trail planning, educational programs, promotion, administration, signage, and communication with the assistance of a part-time administrator and a trail naturalist.

Fund raising is a key function of the society through donations and grants. The board is supported by a strong network from the district of Ucluelet to regional organizations and local business.

While the Wild Pacific Trail Society’s main focus has been trail development, trail-based educational programs have emerging as a high priority to connect people to nature. Free guided programs and site-specific interpretive signage grows every year.

To learn more click to this PDF listing society achievements in 2022-23, as presented at our last AGM. Thanks to our tireless administrator for this report! Learn more about our founder, Oyster Jim, at this link. Jim is still building new trail features nearly every year.

contact us at info@wildpacifictrail.com if you are interested in program delivery or other ways of supporting our mission.

Our mission

Motto: Inspiring Through Nature

Our Vision is:

To inspire a personal connection with nature to create a wave of change for environmental stewardship.

Our Mission is:

▪ To promote and protect a spectacular coastal trail network, where the temperate rainforest meets the ocean, that is accessible to everyone and showcases the natural and cultural treasures of the Ucluth Peninsula.

▪ To inspire people through sharing perspectives about the culture, history and nature of this area.

WPTS Vision and Mission approved October 2018

Meetings:

The WPTS holds public board of director meetings generally on the first Wednesday of every month. Board meetings normally take place at 7:00 p.m. at the Ucluelet Community Centre located at 500 Matterson Drive, Ucluelet, BC. The public is welcome to attend.

Meeting dates for 2023

January 10, 2024
February 6, 2024
March 7, 2024
April 11, 2024
May 1, 2024
June 5, 2024

July 3, 2024
August 7, 2024
September 4, 2024
October 2, 2024
October possible Annual General Meeting TBA
November 6, 2024
December 4, 2024

BIPOC Statement

"We, the Wild Pacific Trail Society (WPTS), stand in support of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) communities here on the west coast of Vancouver Island and across the globe.

We respect being able to live and work in the traditional territory of the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Nation who have been nurturing this land since time immemorial. We are committed to continue building the relationship between the WPTS and indigenous communities.

We also acknowledge that BIPOC do not always feel safe or welcome in outdoor spaces. WPTS will take steps to build inclusive programs and a welcoming trail experience for BIPOC. We will make our thinking and actions on this integral to what we do.

We stand in support of Black Lives Matter and Indigenous Lives Matter." We also stand in support of Truth and Reconciliation. -- Wild Pacific Trail Society

Supporters

Hundreds of Ucluelet citizens, businesses, landowners and the district of Ucluelet have contributed their time, money and ideas to making this trail possible. The WPTS board is invested with making this vision a reality. Special thanks to Abby Fortune (District of Ucluelet staff liaison) and Marilyn McEwen(District of Ucluelet Council representative) for their strong participation at our monthly meetings and planning sessions. Ucluelet First Nation has also been an important contributor to the existence and enrichment of this trail.

Partners in educational programs: Silva Johannson, Ucluelet Aquarium, Raincoast Education Society, Central Westcost Forest Society and more.

The trail itself has also earned thousands of supporters and fans who contribute to donation boxes at trailheads. Visit our DONATE page to learn more about the dreams and goals of the society. For more trail history go to Oyster Jim’s Story: Birth of a Famous Trail.

Bench plaques can be sponsored by contacting info@wildpacifictrail.com. Learn more >

Maintenance and volunteers on the trail:

The WPTS would like to thank Oyster Jim Martin and Danielle Francis for their hard work keeping the trail in top condition. The WPTS administered the maintenance contract for the trail from 2013 to 2020.

The District of Ucluelet has now assumed responsibility for trail maintenance. Please report damage to the municipal office at 250-726-7744.

Volunteers have helped to build viewpoints at Inspiration Point in 2017, stairs at He-Tin-Kis Beach in 2014 and countless other smaller projects or work-bees. This volunteer work will continue, email info@wildpacifictrail.com if you want to be on our volunteer or work-bee list!

Trail users are encouraged to pick up litter and stay on the gravel to prevent damage to the fragile forest fringe.

Whale Trail network:

In 2016 a large marine mammal identification sign was installed at Amphitrite Lighthouse as part of an observation network from Baja California to Alaska called the Whale Trail. Thanks to the Vancouver Aquarium, Strawberry Isle Marine Research Society and the Whale Trail for this excellent partnership.

COPYRIGHT: All images and website content is copyrighted by the Wild Pacific Trail Society. The Wild Pacific Trail logo is also copyrighted. Contact the society if you wish to obtain a link from our site. Links to this site are welcome and do not require permission.

Visit Ucluelet.ca for information on our community and amenities.