Province expanding five Northern B.C. parks

The provincial government has acquired 109 hectares of land to be added to five Northern B.C. provincial parks to protect biodiversity.

Worth $1.9 million, the additions include three hectares of forested hillside in Bowron Lake Park near Quesnel, 64 hectares of old growth forest in Naikoon Park in Haida Gwaii, 33.25 hectares of wetlands, second growth forest and habitat for black bears, moose, deer, and birds in Wells Gray Park near Clearwater, 8.28 hectares in Gladstone Park near Grand Forks to add a swimming hole and improve the existing trail network, and 0.15 hectares in Mount Pope Park by Fort St. James to connect a climbing area to planned parking.

The BC Parks Foundation assisted with funding for the new acquisitions. The province also consulted with First Nations' governments before making decisions about establishing the lands as parks and protected areas.

There are 1,039 provincial parks, recreation areas, conservancies, ecological reserves and protected areas across B.C., covering more than 14 million hectar

Tom Summer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alaska Highway News