Victoria, BC – The Capital Regional District (CRD) has acquired a 15.90 hectare (39.3 acre) parcel of undeveloped land that will be added to East Sooke Regional Park.
The newly acquired land is surrounded on three sides by East Sooke Regional Park in the vicinity of Anderson Cove and is one of the last remaining large tracts of undeveloped land adjacent to the park.
The parcel met the CRD’s criteria for acquisition, and earlier this year the CRD Board directed staff to begin negotiations to purchase the property. In March 2022 the property was bought by the CRD at a market value of $1.508 million. The addition of this land brings the park to 1474.04 hectares and protects and ensures a larger-scale forested corridor between the marine shoreline of Anderson Cove and the upland areas of East Sooke Regional Park.
The area is an important habitat for large carnivores as well as for many smaller organisms including the Warty Jumping-slug – a Species of Special Concern under the federal Species at Risk Act. By acquiring this land the CRD is protecting it from future development. The new property will be left in its natural state to buffer the park’s existing boundaries and to protect biodiversity and wildlife habitat.
East Sooke Regional Park was established in 1970 and is one of the largest parks in the regional park system. It is categorized as a Regional Wilderness Area due to its large size and rugged setting, and park users can enjoy solitude and remoteness when visiting and hiking on the 50 kilometres of rugged trails. The park is considered by many to be one of the most spectacular in the system, with uninterrupted views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains and boasts exceptional marine bird and mammal viewing.
The CRD has provided a regional parks service since 1966. Since then, the regional parks system has grown to include 33 regional parks and four regional trails, comprising over 13,300 hectares of land. With the support of partners, the CRD has acquired nearly 5,000 hectares of land since 2000.
For more information on East Sooke Regional Park, visit: https://www.crd.bc.ca/parks-recreation-culture/parks-trails/find-park-trail/east-sooke/.
Attachment:
The CRD delivers regional, sub-regional and local services to 13 municipalities and three electoral areas on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Governed by a 24-member Board of Directors, the CRD works collaboratively with First Nations and all levels of government to enable sustainable growth, foster community well-being, and develop cost-effective infrastructure while continuing to provide core services to residents throughout the region. Visit us online at https://www.crd.bc.ca/.
-30-
For media inquiries, please contact:
Andy Orr, Senior Manager
CRD Corporate Communications
Tel: 250.360.3229
Cell: 250.216.5492
Photo: Warty jumping-slug, Photo credit: Lennart Sopuck