The Beaver Lodge Trust Society wants to give Campbell Riverites the chance to have their say about the future of the Beaver Lodge Lands.
The society is looking for input from residents about their use of the area and their priorities for future management.
At 30 per cent larger than Vancouver’s Stanley Park, the lands have 40 km of trails enjoyed by thousands of walkers, cyclists, runners and equestrians every year.
However, the Beaver Lodge Lands are not a city park. The area was gifted in trust to the province in 1931 by the Elk River Timber Company.
The province put the lands under the management of the Ministry of Forests.
Earlier this year, the Beaver Lodge Trust Society was formed to advise the Ministry of Forests on what the public thinks about the management priorities for the area.
Sandra Milligan, president of the Beaver Lodge Trust Society, said that “We want to ensure the Ministry of Forests balances the community’s needs with the needs of the natural environment and the Ministry’s forest research goals. ”
While the society does not have the authority to make decisions about the Beaver Lodge Lands, it does have the ability to advise the ministry about the public’s vision.
The society’s 10 directors hope to hear from a wide cross-section of the community, whether they are users or not.
“The Community’s input will guide us as we work with the Ministry of Forests to update the 1994 Resource Use Plan that currently guides the Ministry’s decisions about how to manage the Beaver Lodge Lands,” said director and former B.C. Attorney General, Colin Gablemann.
“Things have changed a lot since 1994, so getting input from residents is our top priority.”
The society is holding an online survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/D6P6QZC.