BC Parks Foundation races to protect private land parcel

The BC Parks Foundation is in a critical race against time to secure a vital piece of the Okanagan's Myra Bellevue Provincial Park. With a deadline of April 14, the foundation needs to raise $800,000 to purchase a 32-hectare private parcel of land. This acquisition is crucial to prevent potential development and protect a rare ecosystem.

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Most people just assume that these parks have a big line around them and that’s that, but some of them are a little bit like Swiss cheese.

Myra Bellevue Provincial Park, known for its historic railway trestles and scenic views, is not entirely publicly owned. "Most people just assume that these parks have a big line around them and that’s that, but some of them are a little bit like Swiss cheese," said Andy Day, CEO of the BC Parks Foundation. The foundation's campaign aims to bring this parcel into public hands.

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There’s always that threat that somebody else comes along, buys it and sees a real commercial opportunity.

Scott Boswell, executive director of the Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program, emphasized the ecological significance of the land. "This whole area is a very rare ecosystem found only in this region of British Columbia and Canada," he stated. Protecting this parcel is vital for maintaining an ecological corridor between Okanagan Mountain and Kalamalka provincial parks, allowing wildlife to move freely.

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This whole area is a very rare ecosystem found only in this region of British Columbia and Canada.

A previous 64-hectare parcel was acquired earlier this year. If this current campaign succeeds, only one private parcel would remain in the park. The total price for the land is $1.6 million, but a matching commitment from the Wilson 5 Foundation means the public fundraising target is halved. "If we aren’t able to protect this and raise the money, then this could be, you know, lost, permanently," Day warned.

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This area remains connected as an ecological corridor between two provincial parks and we want to maintain that connectivity over the long term, so acquiring any lands within the corridor is super important.