From: Trumper.MLA, Gillian
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2004 9:23 AM
Subject: NR - Cathedral Grove Parking Lot

Parking lot a local safety issue
Gillian Trumper
Alberni-Qualicum MLA Report

Our communities have long recognized that a new parking area is needed for Cathedral Grove. The park sees almost one million visitors each year, many of whom are forced to park their vehicles along the shoulder of the road and cross the busy Highway 4.

Park visitors, area residents and the RCMP have recognized the need to address this very serious safety issue. Area residents who commute through the Grove everyday know the necessity. Councils, regional districts, tourism associations, and business associations in the region support the project.

According to an independent study of the parking design for Cathedral Grove, the potential for increased windthrow is minimal. This study, one of 16 done on the project, shows the threat of windthrow will be further reduced by modifying the crowns of trees around the north end of the opening and by leaving islands of trees within the parking lot itself. The project also calls for the parking lot treeline to be feathered, a design that lets wind pass through.

"The incremental effect of the proposed parking lot is small," Dr. Steve Mitchell, a UBC professor of forestry and noted expert on windthrow, reported in his December 2003 study.

Following public consultation, including a meeting between the Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection, and a representative of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, extensive changes were made to the parking lot design.

Several years ago, a 21-hectare parcel of second growth industrial forestland beside the park was purchased with the specific intention of building a parking lot. The new parking area will be built on just two hectares of this additional land. When complete, this land will be added to Cathedral Grove, expanding the park from 136 hectares to 157 hectares.

Because of the Roosevelt Elk in the area in the winter, adjustments have been made to extend the streamside wildlife corridor between the parking area and Cameron River to 80 metres.

Observations over the past decade show the channel adjacent to the proposed parking lot has remained stable. Following a very heavy rainfall, Parks staff toured the site and found no evidence whatsoever of floodwaters in the area of the proposed parking lot. It should be noted the surface of the parking lot will be gravel, allowing water to gradually seep down through the ground, exactly as it does now.

Public safety is the main concern of our communities and our government. This project will make it much safer for everyone who visits Cathedral Grove and all highway users, all while protecting and enhancing the environment. It is the right thing to do.

For more information: call 720-4515 or 1-866-870-4190