Greenway Trail
Upgrading Means Section
Closed
The next phase of the
Mission Creek Greenway
reconstruction project
is underway and that
means a section of the
recreational trail is
closed until the end of
March.
Upgrading is being done
to an area known as ‘the
switchbacks’, an
approximately 500-meter
portion of the trail
leading to the viewpoint
below Gallagher’s Canyon
at the end of Field
Road. Workers will be
widening and resurfacing
some parts of the trail,
installing earth and
wooden tie stairs and
will be providing
environmental protection
features to reduce
erosion and improve bank
stabilization along this
steep portion of the
Greenway.
Signs advising of the
closure are posted at
both the Hollywood Road
South and Field Road
parking areas on both
ends of Scenic Canyon
Regional Park.
Link to Map
Areas of the trail that
are closed and under
construction will be
fenced and signed and
trail users are asked to
stay out of closed areas
to ensure their safety.
They should also be
aware that while this
work is underway they
may encounter
construction equipment
accessing the
construction area from
other parts of the
Greenway and Scenic
Canyon Regional Park.
The total cost of this
latest trail upgrading
and the work completed
last fall to along Phase
2 of the Mission Creek
Greenway is just over
$127,000. Funding is
provided by the Regional
District and through a
$42,500 grant from the
Recreational
Infrastructure Canada
program.
Safe Harbour Boat
Launch Closed
Effective immediately,
the boat launch at the
Okanagan Centre Safe
Harbour Regional Park is
closed.
Communications
Coordinator Bruce Smith
says, “One of the
concrete pads has broken
and there is exposed
rebar so unfortunately
it’s not safe for use.
Until environmental
approvals are received
and the repairs are
complete people with
smaller boats and
trailers may choose to
use the area to the
south of the closed boat
launch. Because of the
low lake water level
anyone with a large boat
should not use the Safe
Harbour to launch.
Instead, they should
launch or trailer their
vessel in other
locations such as the
District of Lake Country
Coral Beach launch in
Carrs Landing or the
City of Kelowna Water
Street or Cook Street
boat launches.”
The Regional District
apologizes for any
inconvenience this may
cause. Smith adds,
“Even though the launch
itself is closed, the
Safe Harbour still
provides shelter and
refuge for boaters
during storms, poor
weather conditions or
other emergency needs at
any time.”
From October through the
end of April, the gate
to the Regional Park,
boat launch, small beach
and parking area along
Okanagan Centre Road in
Lake Country is not
locked. Between May 1st
and September 30th,
the gate is locked daily
from 10:00 pm to 5:00
am.
Hunters in the Sky
Exhibit
It’s a new year and there’s a new exhibit for you to check
out at the
Environmental
Education Centre for the
Okanagan.
‘Hunters in the Sky’
features displays and
activities focusing on
Raptors: birds that use
their exceptionally keen
senses to hunt primarily
while flying. In the
Okanagan, you’ll find
species such as Falcons,
Hawks and Owls that
along with their highly
tuned vision generally
have large and powerful
talons and beaks that
have been adapted for
dealing with food that
they’ve captured.
The exhibit, which runs through mid-April, helps you
investigate what makes
these Birds of Prey,
different from other
birds.
Teachers and
community group leaders
may also wish to request
the popular ‘Owls in the
Classroom’ program.
It’s available until
April and you can book
your space by contacting
the EECO at
250-469-6140.
The Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan or EECO
is located in Mission
Creek Regional Park at
Springfield and Durnin
Roads. It’s open daily
through March from 10:00
am to 3:00 pm.
For more information
about this and other
EECO programs visit the
Regional District
website
or call the EECO at
250-469-6140.
Regional Park System
Grows with Legacy
Funding
The protection of just
over seven hectares of
future parkland is
guaranteed thanks to
recent acquisitions
through the Regional
Parks Legacy Program.
With funding of almost
one million dollars, the
Regional Board recently
approved agreements
adding lands to two
existing Regional Parks
and another proposed for
the future.
Just over $100,000 in
Parks Legacy Program
funding was used to
purchase 1.08-hectares
and two statutory rights
of way for
Trepanier Creek Greenway
Regional Park
near Peachland. With
the addition of these
properties it’s
envisioned that a future
greenway corridor will
link the existing
regional park located
just off the Okanagan
Connector
/ Trepanier Road
underpass to Beach
Avenue and Trepanier
Park along the Peachland
waterfront.
A five-hectare property
has also been purchased
for $475,000 and has
been added to the
existing
Coldham
Regional Park
off
Maxwell Road, which was
donated to the Regional
District by the late
William and Ruth Coldham
from Peachland. An
additional one-hectare
property was purchased
for $381,535 adjacent to
the Scouts Canada Camp
Dunlop along Lakeshore
Road and will form an
entrance to a future
regional greenway
corridor along Lebanon
Creek.
Parks Services Manager
Murray Kopp says the
property additions would
not have been possible
without the support and
vision of the Regional
Board to provide funding
for the Parks Legacy
Program. “Through the
annual five-year
financial planning
process, the Regional
Board has committed
funding support to
facilitate purchases of
up to $17.3–million in
additional regional
parkland property
acquisitions over the
period of 2009 – 2014.”
Regional Board Chair
Robert Hobson says, “Our
goal through the Parks
Legacy Program is to
protect environmentally
and ecologically
significant properties
by expanding our
Regional Park system for
the benefit and use of
all Central Okanagan
residents.”
Kopp adds, “In addition
to several strategic
private property
acquisitions, we are
developing acquisition
and management plans for
Crown Lands in four
areas throughout the
Central Okanagan: Black
Knight Mountain,
Hydraulic Lake,
Trepanier Creek and an
area known as Spion Kop
in Lake Country. It’s
our hope with Board
support and Provincial
approvals to protect
these significant lands
in the future, as
additions to the
Regional Park system”.
For more information
about the purchases
please
view this
report to the Regional
Board
and follow this link for
more information
regarding the
Regional Parks Legacy
Program.