Metro Vancouver announces new regional park in South Langley

Metro Vancouver is expanding its network of green spaces with the creation of a new regional park in South Langley. 

The regional district made the announcement Friday, saying the 44-hectare park will combine newly acquired private property with the existing Langley Municipal Natural Park to protect natural areas and encourage outdoor recreation.

"Our parks are about protecting and connecting people throughout the region," John McEwen, chair of Metro Vancouver's Regional Parks Committee told CBC News. 

"The majority of this park will be left in its natural state … with some trails going through it."

He said the new park will preserve forests, wetlands and riparian areas — including portions of the Little Campbell River and Kerfoot Creek — which are home to various plant and animal species.

McEwen credited the Township of Langley for playing a vital role in the park's creation by donating the municipal parkland for $1. 

"This park came to fruition through a great collaboration with the mayor who saw the opportunity of putting these two parcels together and developing a great regional park," he said.

Township Mayor Eric Woodward called the new park a win for taxpayers.

"The municipality didn't have resources to focus on this park while it's focusing on a lot of parks development in urban areas," he said. 

The announcement comes as Metro Vancouver faces a decline in its overall tree canopy, according to a recent report. It found the region's tree canopy fell from 32 per cent to 31 per cent from 2014 to 2020.

In Langley, the township's Community Forest Management Strategy aims to increase tree canopy in urban areas from 23 per cent to 30 per cent over the next 30 years.

Woodward said it's important to protect ecosystems and create more green space for residents as population and urbanization increases in the township.

"A lot of the areas in South Langley … are in the agricultural land reserve, which is for farming, so sometimes you do see a decrease in tree canopy in rural areas because people are bringing land into production for agriculture," he added.

"In other areas, we are seeing lots of housing development, which is reducing the tree canopy."

Tara Brown, a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia's faculty of forestry, said she welcomes the decision, adding that parks like this are critical for both ecological and human health.

"We have more research that indicates that, in fact, people really need to be near parks less than 750 metres from their home for health benefits. They need to be accessible to them."

Brown, who helped create a silent trail at Campbell Valley Regional Park nearby, said the park will play an essential role in conserving biodiversity. 

"The Little Campbell River flows into that park, so it really is sort of an ecological corridor," Brown said. "Riparian zones that are there that are critical to, you know, some endangered species that we have."

Metro Vancouver says it plans to begin public consultations and stakeholder engagement next year to develop the park. 

While the new property is not yet accessible, the trails and facilities in the former municipal park remain open.

The new South Langley Regional Park will become part of Metro Vancouver's park system, which spans nearly 14,000 hectares across 24 parks, five greenways and two ecological conservancy areas.