A number of parks in the Kootenays could be seeing an expansion. The Province announced yesterday proposed amendments to the Protected Areas of British Columbia Act which could add approximately 107 hectares of new land to six existing Class A parks. That includes 35 hectares to Syringa Provincial Park near Castlegar and four hectares to Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park. In the East Kootenay, 17 additional hectares are proposed for Kikomun Creek Provincial Park. The additions are the result of private land acquisitions
The amendments will also replace boundary descriptions with official plans for two ecological reserves (Gilnockie Creek and Trout Creek) and three Class A parks (Conkle Lake, Jewel Lake and Johnston Creek). Official plans provide a clearer description of where the parks or protected area boundaries are located, leading to less chance of unintentional trespassing.
From the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy:
- Syringa Provincial Park not only protects provincially significant interior Douglas fir forests, it also preserves one of the few remaining examples of grassland ecosystems in the Kootenays. The addition to the park is within a rare ecosystem and provides important winter range for deer and bighorn sheep. Located in south central B.C. near the southeast end of Lower Arrow Lake, the park is a popular destination for camping, fishing and boating. The total area of this park will be 4,538 hectares.
- The Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Park is an undeveloped mountain landscape home to at least 90 species of birds and several animals, such as elk, goats, black bears and grizzly bears. Located northeast of Kaslo near the community of Birchdale, the addition provides an important habitat connection to the larger portion of the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Park. The total area of this park will be 198,120 hectares.