A huge, cedar driftwood log that has been a fixture on Qualicum Beach for more than a decade has begun to float away, and one Qualicum Beach man would like to see the town help keep it around.
"The thing is, it's been the only tourist attraction on the beach for years," said Trevor Wicks. "I've seen hundreds of people take photos there, sitting at the base of the stump. Kids run along it and play; people change behind it."
Wicks, who said he spent his career working in public works and parks and recreation, said it would be a quick and inexpensive fix to anchor the log to the beach. But his request for the Town of Qualicum Beach to anchor the log in place is misplaced, said Bob Weir.
Weir is the town’s director of engineering.
“For one thing, that area is not really in our jurisdiction,” said Weir. “When you go beyond the sea wall it’s crown land, which makes it the purview of wildlife management and Fisheries and Oceans. It’s not like we can go willy-nilly and do what we want.”
For many years — it’s unclear just how long but could run to a couple of decades — the log has rested, partially buried in sand and gravel a couple metres from the Qualicum Beach seawall between the public washrooms and the Beach Hut snack shop. But in the last several weeks, Wicks said, he has watched waves lift the thicker, root end of the log and float it part way toward the sea.
“In the last week it’s moved the most,” Wicks said on Jan. 6. “I could see the sea had gotten in behind it, which it hadn’t done in years. It will soon be gone, no question.”
Wicks said the loss of the log would expose one of the only spots along the concrete seawall that has any natural vegetation to the vagaries of the tides and storm surges.
He believes the town could anchor the log in place, either permanently or temporarily, by digging a hole and placing a “dead man” anchor — like a piece of railway line or another log — and anchoring the driftwood to it.
“We have tried in the past to cable logs to the shore to mitigate wave activity, but that didn’t work,” said Weir. “The cables eventually just snapped. There’s a lot of force behind tidal waves.”
Wicks, who operates the independent website ouroceansidewater.com, has previously suggested a causeway and breakwater extending off Qualicum Beach to mitigate storm damage.
The Town of Qualicum Beach embarked in April of 2013 on a Waterfront Master Plan, which was completed and adopted in October of 2016.
Weir said the Town has completed work on some areas of the shoreline to restore a more natural beach, such as the headlands in front of the brant viewing area. And more work is expected in the long-term.
“There are a lot of things we are focussed on, and I think council has made the decision to look at (the shore) for the long-term,” Weir said.
“We can’t do it one log at a time.”