emailUpdated Management Plan for
Island View Beach Regional Park
CRD is updating the management plan for Island View Beach Regional Park. Our goal is to provide a framework for exceptional parkland stewardship and outstanding visitor experiences.
Status of the Planning Process
The planning process for preparing a park management plan for Island View Beach Regional Park began in January 2011 and included a background information gathering and public input phase. During this phase of the process, several complex issues have emerged which cannot easily be resolved. These issues require further work prior to developing a good long-term park management plan for Island View Beach Regional Park.
As a result, the park management planning process is on hold and staff will report back to CRD Regional Parks Committee in the spring of 2012 on the progress on the key issues identified at Island View Beach Regional Park.
Purpose of the Management Plan
The management plan provides direction for how the park will be managed. It addresses ecological conservation, cultural heritage conservation, visitor experience and activities, and park development and operations.
Regional Parks wants to hear your ideas and interests to:
- develop a vision and set out park management goals to protect the natural environment and cultural features of the park
- define specific actions to achieve the vision and goals
- identify the types of outdoor recreation activities, and where in the park they should be allowed
- identify the types and locations of park facilities and services.
The need for an Updated Plan
The management plan for Island View Beach was developed in 1989. Much has changed since that time. The updated management plan will reflect:
- Park boundaries have been completed
- Former private campground is re-designed and operated by Regional Parks
- New facilities developed, such as the picnic shelter and washrooms
- Surrounding residential development
- New recreational uses
- Relationships forged with the Tsawout, nearby landowners, and stakeholders
- Increased opportunities for partnerships and volunteering
- Invasive species and species at risk, such as carpet burrweed in the campground area
- Impacts associated with high year-round visitation rate and other factors
- Mosquito abatement program
- Hydrology related to ditches, dykes, and drainage
- Sensitive ecosystems and species to be protected
- Variety of interpretive programs offered
About the Park
Island View Beach Regional Park is located in Central Saanich, along the Haro Strait shoreline of the Saanich Peninsula. The 51.73 hectare park contains a significant 1.3km beach with panoramic seascape views of Haro Strait, James Island and Mount Baker. It is the third most popular regional park in the district with 330,133 visits in 2010. It is also one of the first regional parks established in the district, in 1966.
Conservation Features
Island View Beach is classified as a Regional Conservation Area, due to the presence of sensitive and threatened ecosystems and species.
- The beach, dune, wetland, and shrub ecosystems are home to numerous resident and migratory bird species, and many sensitive plants.
- The park is one of the best places in Victoria for bird watching. The wide variety of habitats– ocean, beach, dunes, thickets and fields – makes it home to more than 100 bird species over the year.
Recreation Activities
The park contains a significant 1.3 km beach with panoramic seascape views of Haro Strait, James Island and Mount Baker.The park provides many recreational experiences and activities.
- Off-shore waters are popular with kayakers, wind surfers and kite boarders.
- Trails, including an accessible path, wind throughout the park for hiking, dog walking, nature study, and bird watching.
Campground
The park offers a seasonal, self-contained RV and tent campground operated by Regional Parks.The campground's future use will be part of the management plan.
- The campground has 18 beach front RV sites, 5 treed tent trailer sites and 24 treed tent sites.
The Cordova Shore
Island View Beach Regional Park is part of the larger Cordova Shore. It is a complex of dune, beach, wetland, bluff, rock outcrop and marine ecosystems from Saanichton Bay to Cowichan Head. It includes a large wetland and the largest contiguous dune system in southern British Columbia, which is one of the best examples of an intact dune system in the province.
The Tsawout First Nation Reserve is situated along the park’s northern boundary. The Tsawout First Nation has long lived along the Cordova Shore and they retain a vital connection to the land.
The Tsawout First Nation, Regional Parks, and Canadian Wildlife Service recently prepared a Cordova Shore Conservation Strategy as a first step towards guiding the protection and restoration of the natural and cultural resources of this rare coastal ecosystem. This strategy will be used as background information for preparing the park management plan and developing management policies.
Sand Verbena Image Nick Page; Sandpipers Image Robin Thom
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