Natural Areas Trails Strategy

We developed a Natural Areas Trails Strategy to guide the planning and management of recreation trails across natural areas managed by the District.

News and updates

February 5, 2024 — Natural Areas Trails Strategy Approved by Council  

Council approved the Natural Areas Trails Strategy on February 5, 2024.

Download the approved Natural Areas Trails Strategy

Read the meeting agenda for the Regular Meeting of Council on February 5, 2024

December 12, 2023 — Council Workshop

Staff presented the draft Natural Areas Trails Strategy for discussion at a workshop for Council.

Read the meeting agenda

Fall 2023 — Public engagement

Thank you to all who shared their input by taking our online survey. We developed the draft strategy based on the key themes that we heard during the first engagement in Spring 2022 along with background research and best practices.

Read the draft Natural Areas Trails Strategy
Read the Phase 2 Engagement Report

Spring 2022 —  Public engagement  

Thank you for taking our survey and sharing your perspectives to help us shape the future of trails in natural areas. Your input will be considered along with our background research and analysis for this project.

Read our Initial Engagement Report

Project phases

Phase 1: We engaged the community to learn more about key community values, ideas, and opportunities for planning and managing natural area trails in the District.

Phase 2: We considered key themes we hear through the initial engagement – along with background research and best practices analysis – to help us develop the draft strategy. We are engaging the community to listen to input on the draft strategy.

Phase 3: The strategy was presented to Council in a workshop in December 2023. Council approved the strategy in February 2024.

Next steps: To implement the actions identified in the strategy. We anticipate further opportunities for engagement during the area trails planning process.

Background

The District manages one of the largest areas of municipal parkland of the municipalities in the Metro Vancouver region. Part of District parkland includes large natural areas of mountainside forests, creeks, rivers valleys, and canyons.

The District’s natural areas trail network is a valued asset within the community for a wide variety of outdoor recreation, social, and health and well-being interests.

Policy context

The District’s goal is to apply an active and adaptive management approach to its natural areas that balances recreational uses with environmental protection.

The Official Community Plan (2011) contains objectives for natural parkland that include protecting environmentally sensitive lands, habitats and wildlife, and providing trail opportunities for walking, hiking and cycling.

The Parks and Open Space Strategic Plan (2012) provides direction to balance environmental protection with recreational management for the District’s natural areas.

The Fromme Mountain Sustainable Trail Use and Classification Plan (2007) includes an ecological land assessment, trail sustainability assessment, and area management and trail-specific recommendations.

The Lynn Canyon Park Management Plan (1994) includes an inventory and assessment of the park’s existing resources and amenities, park management objectives, goals, and recommendations.

Maps

The map below generally shows the natural areas managed by the District and identifies the study area for the Natural Areas Trails Strategy: Fromme, Lynn Canyon, and Seymour. It is approximately 1,950 hectares. These areas are not continuous as there are several land managers of natural areas in the District.

Fromme: The Fromme area is north of neighbourhoods around Mosquito Creek to upper Lynn Valley. It borders on Metro Vancouver’s Lynn Headwaters Regional Park to the east.

Lynn Canyon: The Lynn Canyon area includes Lynn Canyon Park, which is west of the Lynn Valley neighbourhood and borders on Metro Vancouver’s Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve to the east.

Seymour: Natural areas in Seymour managed by the District include north of the Blueridge neighbourhood between Metro Vancouver’s Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve to the west and CMHC Federal land to the east; the mountain forest area between CMHC (Federal) land to the west and Mount Seymour Provincial Park to the east; adjacent to the Deep Cove and Indian Arm neighbourhoods.

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