Kanaka Creek REGIONAL PARK MANAGEMENT PLAN JULY 2004 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Over the four years of work on the plan, many outside partners, educational institutions and agencies supplemented GVRD’s research and planning resources to provide a more comprehensive Management Plan for the size and complexity of the park. In the end we pulled together a highly skilled group of contributors and consultants who made this their labour of love. Now it is our turn to thank them and all those who contributed. It includes those who sat on committees and groups including representatives from Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership (KEEPS), Katzie First Nation, Alouette Field Naturalists, Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, District of Maple Ridge and many other individuals and groups. Thanks also go to our key environmental consultants who all provided valuable assistance at various stages of the project: Glen Ryder, Mark Adams of Envirowest Consultants Limited, Helmut Urhahn of Tera Planning and to our planning consultant, Patrick Yarnell Special thanks go to master level students of Landscape Architecture (UBC 2003) who, under the guidance of their professors Patrick Mooney and Stephen Shepard, did exemplary work in studies related to the creek, watershed and wildlife habitat creation. Special thanks go to: District of Maple Ridge staff Kim Grout, Mike Davies, Jane Pickering, Bruce McLeod and Mike Murray who provided valuable time and resources to the process; Bell-Irving Hatchery Manager John Heaven for his ongoing technical advice for more than 20 years; lastly thanks to all the many GVRD Parks staff who provided information, technical work and critical feed-back especially Gordon Smith, Will McKenna, Rob Keip and Janice Jarvis. Finally, we want to thank all of those members of the public who regularly attended meetings and contributed their valuable time and insights throughout the years, particularly Bill Archibald. Wendy DaDalt GVRD Parks Area Manager East Area TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter of Conveyance Acknowledgements Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................1 1.1 Kanaka Creek and the GVRD Park System ......................................................1 1.2 Kanaka Creek Regional Park Context...............................................................1 1.3 Purpose of the Management Plan .....................................................................4 1.4 The Planning Process ........................................................................................4 1.5 Summary of Stakeholder and Public Involvement ..........................................6 1.6 Planning Considerations....................................................................................6 Regional Planning Context ...............................................................................7 Natural Resources of Watershed and Park .....................................................8 Park Boundaries .................................................................................................8 Stormwater Management ...................................................................................8 Municipal Zoning Within the Park .....................................................................8 Encroachments ...................................................................................................9 Local Linkages and Greenways.........................................................................9 Sensitive Areas....................................................................................................9 Blue Mountain Provincial Forest .......................................................................9 Species At Risk ................................................................................................. 11 Transportation, Utilities and Public Transit ................................................... 11 Informal Trails.................................................................................................... 11 2.0 PLANNING CONTEXT ....................................................................................... 12 2.1 Demographics ................................................................................................... 12 Population.......................................................................................................... 12 2.2 Recreation Use and Trends ............................................................................. 13 2.3 Kanaka Creek Regional Park Recreation Use................................................ 14 i 2.4 Nearby Recreation Area, Linkages and Facilities .............................................14 2.5 Cultural Resources............................................................................................... 14 Historic Kanaka Creek.......................................................................................... 14 Land Use................................................................................................................ 16 2.6 NATURAL RESOURCES ...................................................................................... 17 Environment, Geology and Soils ........................................................................ 17 Vegetation ............................................................................................................. 19 Water...................................................................................................................... 21 Fish......................................................................................................................... 22 Wildlife ................................................................................................................... 24 Corridors ............................................................................................................... 24 Species at Risk ..................................................................................................... 25 2.7 Existing Condition, Park Uses and Facilities by Planning Units..................... 25 Riverfront............................................................................................................... 25 Lower Reach – Fish Fence .................................................................................. 26 Middle Reach – Cliff Falls .................................................................................... 27 Hatchery – Upper Reach ...................................................................................... 28 Forest Core............................................................................................................ 28 2.8 Existing Park Programs....................................................................................... 29 Visitor Services – Education and Interpretation ............................................... 29 Partnerships and Community Development ..................................................... 29 Operations and Maintenance .............................................................................. 30 3.0 GUIDELINES, GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES................................. 31 Park Development Guidelines............................................................................. 31 Objectives and Strategies for KCRP................................................................... 31 Park Planning and Development......................................................................... 32 Resource Management and Stewardship .......................................................... 32 Recreation ............................................................................................................. 33 Education and Interpretation............................................................................... 34 Operations............................................................................................................. 35 Community Development .................................................................................... 35 Managing Cultural and Natural Resources........................................................ 36 Resourcing ............................................................................................................ 36 4.0 GENERAL MANAGEMENT POLICIES................................................................. 37 4.1 Cultural Resource Management ......................................................................... 37 4.2 Environment, Geology and Soils Management................................................. 37 4.3 Vegetation Management ...................................................................................... 37 4.4 Water Resource Management ............................................................................. 38 ii 4.5 Fish Management.............................................................................................38 4.6 Wildlife Management .......................................................................................39 4.7 Sensitive Areas and Recreation .....................................................................40 4.8 Access Management........................................................................................40 4.9 Encroachments and Enforcement Management ..........................................41 4.10 Resourcing .......................................................................................................41