Visitors to Whistler's Lost Lake Park will have to hike a little bit farther than usual in the coming days because of an influx of tiny amphibians.
The Resort Municipality of Whistler announced Thursday that it is closing the parking lot and access road in the park to vehicle traffic until further notice. The closure is part of the municipality's efforts to protect thousands of juvenile western toads, which are currently migrating from the lake into the surrounding forest.
Western toads are an indigenous species of special concern in British Columbia. They are vulnerable to changes in their environment, including human activities such as road-building and urban development.
Each year, adult toads return to Lost Lake Park to lay their eggs in the water. The eggs mature into tadpoles and then "toadlets," which are no bigger than a dime. More than 35,000 toadlets are observed in the park annually, with an estimated 1,800 toads per hour crossing the park's beach trail at the height of the migration.
While the parking lot and access road are closed, the rest of the park remains open. The municipality has environmental technicians and volunteers stationed in the park to monitor the toads' migration and help them cross into the forest safely.
Visitors to the park are reminded to watch for signage indicating "active migration zones" and to step carefully and walk bikes in these areas.
The free shuttle to Lost Lake will continue to run during the parking lot closure, dropping visitors off at the entrance to Lost Lake Road on Blackcomb Way.
One thing that won't continue while the parking lot is closed, however, is the presence of food trucks. The municipality says all food trucks scheduled for the Lost Lake parking lot are cancelled until the lot reopens.
In a release, Whistler thanked residents and visitors for their understanding and cooperation, and apologized for any inconvenience.
