A celebration of the new 707 Community Park addition was held on December 6th on the “Wilkinson Woods” land. Vanessa Craig (Regional District of Nanaimo board chair) and GaLTT President Hugh Skinner said a few words, followed by a ribbon cutting and a short walking tour. Hugh’s comments (see below) recognized the importance to our island of protecting land like this, and the collaboration and cooperation between many people and agencies that made it possible.
The Gabriola Land & Trails Trust is honoured to partner with the Regional District of Nanaimo on this 78 acre addition to the 707 Community Park.
This purchase is the third time* that GaLTT has financially supported the RDN with parkland acquisitions on Gabriola Island and in Area B, thanks to our community’s generous donations to our Land Acquisition Fund.
GaLTT’s mandate is to develop relationships with private landholders, governments, and community groups to enable more protected areas. Gabriola Island currently has 13% of land that is protected and our goal is to achieve the Gulf Islands average of 20%.
We feel that unique opportunities, such as this, have a much greater chance of success with our partners when GaLTT, through our members and community backers, can demonstrate strong moral and financial support.
We would like to thank our RDN director, Vanessa Craig, for supporting this initiative from the onset, as well as the RDN parks staff who, also, were fully supportive of this acquisition moving forward. Specifically, I would thank Sean Reilly, Parkland Administrator, Rick Daykin, Manager of Park Services, and Tom Osborne, General Manager of Parks and Recreation.
Lastly, and most importantly, we would like to thank Lauren Young, and her husband Dean Gaudry, for offering to make this land available as parkland as opposed to being developed.
We are forever indebted to their cooperation on enabling this additional parkland.
Thank you.
* Previous contributions from GaLTT have helped fund the RDN acquisitions of Dodd Narrows Community Park on Mudge Island in 2016 and the 9-acre addition to the 707 in 2020.
