The Capital Regional District has added 28 hectares to Mount Work Regional Park, increasing the park’s total area to 730 hectares.
The newly acquired Highlands property, bought for $1.05 million, will provide an additional buffer protecting mature stands of Douglas fir, cedar and grand fir, officials said. The property also contains a rare ecological community and habitat for species-at-risk.
The land was acquired through the Regional Parks Land Acquisition Fund — a special levy of $20 per average household currently dedicated to parkland acquisition. David Screech, chairman of the CRD regional parks committee, said the acquisition will help complete the western boundary of the park.
The property, owned by the Kinghorn family for almost 60 years, was purchased from Russ Kinghorn and Sharon Macauley.
Mount Work is one of the CRD’s largest parks. A popular recreation spot, it is home to three freshwater lakes — Durrance, Fork and Pease — for swimming, canoeing and fishing and 11 kilometres of trails and receives more than 195,000 visits annually.
