Several local parks are expected to grow if legislation introduced Thursday by the provincial government is approved.
It would add five more hectares for the Davis Creek site of Kootenay Lake Park, 18 more hectares to the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy to increase connectivity in the park for mule deer and grizzly bears, and 32 hectares for Valhalla Park to improve wildlife connectivity.
To further protect lake values, lake foreshore would also be added to Kootenay Lake Park and the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy, the government said. Administrative amendments and road ownership changes are being proposed to West Arm Park.
“Parks are more than places for us to get out for a hike, though we certainly do our fair share of hiking in our neck of the woods,” Nelson-Creston MLA Brittny Anderson said in a news release.
“They’re also important for local flora and fauna to have an undisturbed space where they can flourish. By adding to parks outside of recreational areas, we’re maintaining that respectful relationship with nature that we all cherish.”