East Sooke Regional Park just got a little bigger.
The Capital Regional District has acquired a 10-hectare parcel of undeveloped land bordered on two sides by the existing park and running along East Sooke Road next to the East Sooke Volunteer Fire Department.
The parcel is one of the few remaining large undeveloped tracts of land that can be added to the regional park and brings the total area to 1,484.08 hectares. East Sooke Regional Park is now the third largest park in the CRD parks system after Sea to Sea Regional Park and Sooke Hills Wilderness Regional Park.
The property has a market value of $1,090,000 and was bought by the CRD for $950,000. The landowners, the Broadbent family, donated $140,000 of the land’s value.
The property was part of the original Glenairly homestead and was purchased by the Broadbents’ great grandparents, Alex and Nellie (née Todd) Gillespie, in 1910.
“Many Gillespie descendants have been fortunate to explore and play there, and we are delighted that it will now be preserved and shared for others to enjoy,” the Broadbent family said in a statement. “We thank the CRD for making it possible.”
Acquisition of the property complements the Copper Mine Road parcel, which was acquired last October, and further strengthens the park boundary and secures an important travel corridor for large carnivores that travel through East Sooke Regional Park.
The area is considered an important habitat for bears, cougars and wolves, as well as for many smaller creatures. It also includes several old-growth Coastal Douglas fir trees estimated at more than 250 years old. 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 categorized as a regional wilderness area due to its large size and rugged setting.
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.
