(JULIE WHITTET / iNFOnews.ca)
April 23, 2013 - 4:56 PM
Cyclists, dog-walkers and joggers can now legally pass through the stretch of Mission Creek Greenway between Casorso and Gordon Drive. The popular, ecologically-rich 450-meter trail now belongs in city's hands. Up until today, public users of the path were technically trespassing on private property.
The Regional District for the Central Okanagan announced this afternoon the concrete barricades on either end of the trail will be coming down now that they have a Statutory Right of Way on the land. The section of trail will now be cohesive with the rest of the Mission Creek Greenway, a 19-kilometer recreational corridor established in the early 1990s, stretching from Lakeshore Road up into Gallaghers Canyon.
The West Bank First Nation also gave their approval for the public to access the trail through part of their reserve territory. This new access point will cap off a 2.5 kilometer loop of trail.
The transfer in ownership is also paired with generous funding for an ecological restoration project. With $215,000 from the Regional Parks Legacy Fund and another $335,00 from the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, the district has secured 2.7 hectares of surrounding land. This land will allow the creek current to meander into a more natural pattern and reduce flood risk.
Regional District of Central Okanagan Chair, Robert Hobson, announced their aquisition of 450 meters of the Mission Creek Greenway between Gordron Drive and Casorso.
(JULIE WHITTET / iNFOnews.ca)
To contact the reporter for this story, email Julie Whittet at jwhittet@infotelnews.ca or call (250)718-0428.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013