BC Parks Proposed Nancy Greene Park Management Plan Amendment

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From BC Parks' own website with regard to park management:

• Maintain and restore ecosystems
  Where possible in BC Parks, we allow natural processes to proceed unimpeded. However, ecosystems within protected areas sometimes need help to get to a more resilient state.
• Protect and recover biodiversity
  Protected areas provide an important tool for protecting biodiversity. BC Parks has a mandate to work with others to protect the biodiversity within our protected areas system, helping to protect species at risk and also maintain overall diversity of species and ecosystems, and the genetic diversity to maintain resilience in the face of future threats or climate change.

Maintaining the natural features of the park should be the primary concern with regard to park amendments. Considerations for this should supersede all public usage amendments/proposals. My concerns are with maintaining the integrity of the parks' eco-system/biodiversity areas.

I believe that none of the proposed changes to the park are encompassing the eco-system and biodiversity values presented in the government's own 'Together for Wildlife' strategy. More intensive research on the park's natural environment are required before such sweeping changes are made. Otters, beavers, deer, moose, elk, black bears and grizzly bears are often seen in the park and may utilize the parks features and sanctity.

I believe that more than doubling the size of Intensive Recreation Zone without expanding the park boundaries is poor decision making. I believe that maintaining the IRZ at 4% is essential for maintaining the conservation values of the park. 

Large buffer areas around the mouth/inlet of Blueberry Creek (outflow) are required within the park boundary. As well, plans should immediately be made to naturalize the flow of the creek under HWY 3B, removing the culvert and allowing fish and other species to migrate freely, without obstruction, in and out of the lake. Incorporating increased buffer zones around Blueberry Creek (northeast outlet of the lake) to facilitate a healthy riparian area and offset increased human-caused damage through the increase in the IRZ would be a positive addition to the current porposal plan.

The lake inlet wetland zone requires increased buffer zones and changes to the walking paths to allow for these buffers. The inlet area of the lake is home to many birds, reptiles, amphibians as well as otters and beavers and should remain as free of human activity as possible.  Incorporating increased buffer zones around the marsh-inlet area (south-west part of lake), re-routing of the walking trail at the south-west end of the lake to allow for the largest buffer zone possible around the marsh, perhaps incorporate viewing platforms so that nature viewers can still see into but not tread into the marsh area would all be positive additions to the existing plan.

Ensure that vehicle access to the proposed camping area is from HWY3B and not HWY 3, so that vehicles are not driving over the Blueberry Creek inlet riparian zone except on the highway itself.

Increased signage describing the species present in these two above mentioned riparian/wetland areas to increase awareness and decrease disturbance is required.

Toilet/washrooms facilities should be increased but remain 'rustic'.