Members of the Nature Trust of BC (left) and the Wilson 5 Foundation (right, on stage) unveil a new plaque which will sit on a newly acquired Mariner Way property in Parksville, at the mouth of the Englishman River. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

CONSERVATION

Ecological future of Island’s Englishman River secured through multi-million dollar donation

Sep 16, 2021 | 1:16 PM

PARKSVILLE — The Nature Trust of BC has completed the purchase of a prized piece of property at the mouth of the Englishman River.

Courtesy a $6 million donation from the Wilson 5 Foundation, the Nature Trust of BC now owns the 6.9 acre residential estate located in one of the province’s endangered Coastal Douglas Fir ecosystems.

Jasper Lament, Nature Trust’s CEO, told NanaimoNewsNOW the area is home to over 20 species of fish and the purchase means securing key areas of the river and surrounding habitats.

“This one is really strategically located where the Englishman River meets the Salish Sea and the connection between those two water bodies has really been constricted by human development.”

The newly acquired parcel of land connects with a previous purchased property to the south and secures the future for mouth of the Englishman River, part of a 43 year mission for the Nature Trust.

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It’s the Trust’s 10th land acquisition along the river and will see the home and infrastructure removed and replaced with more natural habitat and a picnic pavilion for the public.

The Nature Trust of BC has purchased a 6.9 acre property at the mouth of the Englishman River in Parksville. (Google Maps/Nature Trust of BC)

Lament said it’s part of the “string of pearls” along the Englishman River, the trust has collected over the years.

“The property will be restored to a mix of native plants. We’ll be removing some or all of the rip rap or fill which currently prevents the property from functioning the way it did…we’ll be moving towards restoring natural habitat, native plant eco-system.”

Fish species such as the steelhead trout use the river to spawn, while the area is home every year for a few weeks to the Brandt geese on their migratory path from Mexico to Alaska.

A rendering of the proposed restoration shows the Wilson Nature Park on the right hand side of the plot of land, while the rest will be slowly reclaimed by mother nature. (Nature Trust of BC)

The Wilson 5 Foundation is a family organization established in 2012, dedicated to land conservation, education, parks and public art.

Byron Horner, executive director of the foundation, said this pitch from the Nature Trust of BC aligned with their goals and was immediately supported by Foundation co-founders Chip and Summer Wilson.

“This is a great way to support the re-naturalization of the Englishman River that flows into the Salish Sea to support the salmon stock, the steelhead fry and it fit in well with the last few projects we’ve been working on.”

The Foundation recently donated $4 million to help purchase Saturnina Island in June 2021 and was part of the fundraising through a nearly $1 million donation to secure West Ballenas Island in November 2020.

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alex.rawnsley@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley