Approximately 15 acres of land along the Little Qualicum River is now protected under the Nature Trust of B.C., protecting and preserving it for future generations. (Nature Trust of B.C.)

By Alex Rawnsley

ecological preservation

Stretch of Little Qualicum River protected under Nature Trust of B.C.

May 11, 2023 | 5:19 AM

QUALICUM BEACH — A prized section of land adjacent to a local waterway is set to be protected and preserved forever.

The Nature Trust of B.C. purchased 15 hectares along Little Qualicum River, using grant money from the federal government and collected donations. It’s the conservation group’s first purchase along the river and protects lands which were poised for future residential development.

Jasper Lament, CEO of the Nature Trust of B.C., told NanaimoNewsNOW it is part of the Coastal Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zone and contains a wide variety of trees, plant and animal life, along with animals who use the area for shelter and food.

“The Coastal Douglas-fir is an incredibly biodiverse landscape and it is a very high priority for biodiversity conservation in B.C. Only 11 per cent of it across B.C. is protected so whenever we see opportunities to build on the network of conserved land…we look seriously at that opportunity.”

So-called “blue listed species”, ones the province considers at risk, are also featured on site, including multiple types of birds and dragonflies.

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Approximately a third of the property contains older forest, some upwards of 250 years old.

The property is also downstream from a salmon hatchery and links in well with past acquisitions in the area, namely along the Englishman River.

“Both the Englishman and Little Qualicum Rivers both drain into the Parksville-Qualicum wildlife management area, which is a really important landscape for migratory birds and salmon, so there’s a connection there in the marine environment between where these rivers both drain into the same conservation landscape.

Other purchases in the region include a September 2022 acquisition of 71 acres of land along the Englishman River inland from Parksville.

One year prior, a separate seven acre residential estate at the mouth of the Englishman River in Parksville was taken on by the Trust.

Work continues on the Mariner Way property to restore it back to its natural state.

“We’ve removed all the buildings, seawall and the shoreline looks very different from what it did. Lots of work yet to be done but huge progress in the last 18 months since we acquired that property.”

The river snakes through Vancouver Island, southwest of Qualicum Beach. Purchase of the land will protect it from initially planned residential development. (Nature Trust of B.C.)

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