The beach, dunes, wetlands and endangered species of Island View Beach Regional Park require protection, but within boundaries that will still provide 630,000 annual visitors with an enjoyable stay.
That’s the balancing act that Capital Regional District Parks and the public are engaged in with the ongoing review to update the 1989 management plan for the Central Saanich destination.
Issues range from repairing the boat ramp to installing more boardwalk, accommodating dog walkers and avoiding mosquito infestations if the man-made beach berm is altered. Not to mention the lack of flush toilets and dog-waste bag dispensers.
Beatrice Van Winden said she hopes the management plan will provide structure so that park users know what is expected of them, whether it’s staying on trails or keeping their dogs in check.
“I do a lot of photography with other people and we have the dogs jumping on us and making the wildlife we’re trying to photograph run away,” she said, after a daylong consultation on Saturday.
There are few signs at the park that explain to users why they shouldn’t just tromp all over the place.
“It’s not people’s fault,” she said. “Island View Beach needs structure and signage explaining fragile areas.”
People need to know the reasons for staying on trails, and right now, there’s nothing that gives them any information, she said.
The park needs to be protected, but not in an overly restrictive way, Van Winden said. “Because it’s a jewel.”
The park is the third-most visited regional park, noted senior parks manager Mike Walton, who was impressed with the turnout of about 65 people.
“I’m really excited about the amount of knowledge and the calibre of caring for the park in the room,” he said.
Online feedback will be accepted at the Capital Regional District website until midnight tonight. The draft plan is expected to be ready by the end of March.
A group called the Friends of Island View Beach maintains that the CRD Parks staff has not been forthcoming about scientific references in its environmental assessment of the park to Central Saanich Council and called for Saturday’s meeting to be cancelled.
Walton said the information requested by Central Saanich was sent and that he is confident in the process, while the group says the public does not have the information it needs.
There is fear among some about what could happen if the man-made berm along the beach is allowed to revert to its natural state, including some saltwater marsh area, said Mike Hicks, a CRD director.
Some people would view that as “an ecological feat” while others would call it “a nightmare with saltwater mosquitos,” he said.
“It’s all coming to a head here,” he said. “It’s all democratic and it’s all good.”
Many people, including biologists, believe the area should be returned to a natural state, said CRD director David Screech. “That’s the tough decision that has to be made.”
