Salt Spring Island (SSI), BC– Following a community-led fundraising effort throughout 2022, the Capital Regional District (CRD) has acquired a 75-acre parcel of land on the northeastern slopes of Mount Maxwell to develop a community park. The acquisition effort involved local Indigenous community members, naturalists, recreational users, and other islanders.
The land is adjacent to Mount Maxwell Provincial Park, private property, and protected watershed lands (see map). In its current form, the land is mostly covered in second and third-growth forest with small stands of western redcedar, bigleaf maple, and Douglas-fir. There are also seasonal waterways and an informal trail network, some of which aligns with old logging roads.
The vision driving the community park acquisition was to develop a dedicated space for non-motorized recreational use, including hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and disc golf, accessible by Seymour Heights Road. and Wright Road. Now that the acquisition is complete, the CRD is developing a preliminary management plan to guide all future activity within the park, including multi-use trail planning, with the long-term intention to maintain ongoing Indigenous and community engagement.
The process to develop this plan is being led by efforts to understand Indigenous interests in the land by engaging with First Nation communities. These interests, and the values shared by engaged groups, will help form the basis for the development of the community park’s preliminary management plan.
In addition to First Nations engagement, the CRD will conduct local community and stakeholder engagement on Salt Spring Island. The CRD will be reaching out to surrounding neighbours, organizations, and community groups that were involved in the acquisition. Interested community members are welcome to attend the public information session to learn more about the project and how to participate.
General Public Information Session:
May 15, 2024, 6:30-8:00 pm
Salt Spring Island Multi-Space (SIMS), Room 2, 124 Rainbow Rd.
The CRD will review all feedback and present findings back to engaged Indigenous communities for review prior to finalizing a preliminary management plan for the future use and management of these lands.
Under the delegated authority of the CRD’s SSI Local Community Commission, SSI Parks, Arts, Recreation and Culture (PARC) is responsible for providing and maintaining community parks, trails, water access points, facilities, and provides recreation programs and services to the communities of Salt Spring Island.
For more information and to subscribe for project updates, visit https://getinvolved.crd.bc.ca/mount-maxwell.
The CRD delivers regional, sub-regional and local services to 13 municipalities and three electoral areas on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Governed by a 24-member Board of Directors, the CRD works collaboratively with First Nations and government partners to enable sustainable growth, foster community well-being, and develop cost-effective infrastructure while continuing to provide core services to residents throughout the region. Visit us online at www.crd.bc.ca.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Dan Ovington, Manager
Salt Spring Island Parks and Recreation
Tel: 250.537.4448