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CRD acquires more land for Sooke Hills

The purchase helps conserve wilderness character of regional park
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Pine marten is among the wildlife that calls Sooke Hills home. The CRD announced Monday it has bought another 15 hectares for Sooke Hills Wilderness Regional Park. This parkland addition will protect the environment and conserve the wilderness character of the Sooke Hills, say CRD officials. (Gary Schroyen photo)

The Capital Regional District has bought another 15 hectares of parkland for Sooke Hills Wilderness Regional Park.

The land parcel was purchased for $445,000.

“This land increases the size of the park to 4,113 hectares, which is the largest park in the CRD regional park system,” said CRD Board Chair Steve Price. “Adding land to the east boundary of Sooke Hills Wilderness Regional Park helps complete the park’s boundaries.”

This parkland addition will protect the environment and conserve the wilderness character of the Sooke Hills, Price added.

The property will create a buffer between the core of the park and Highway 14. These lands also contribute to the protection of important ecosystem services, and support terrestrial carbon sequestration.

The purchase is funded through the CRD’s regional parks land acquisition fund. The funds are generated through a levy set at a rate of $20 per average residential household. The fund is projected to generate approximately $3.7 million each year to 2019.

Sooke Hills Wilderness Regional Park is a large wilderness area within the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area, Metchosin and Langford. The area is also within both the T’Sou-ke and Scia’new (Beecher Bay) First Nation’s Traditional Territory.

The park provides a buffer to the Greater Victoria Water Supply Area and includes the Sooke Hills Wilderness Trail, which forms part of The Great Trail route (formerly the Trans Canada Trail), a network of multiuse trails that stretches across Canada.



Kevin Laird

About the Author: Kevin Laird

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