Nature Park update

We had some great discussion at our February KNPS meeting. Here is a quick summary of some of the things we are working on:

Updating our Trail Guide

We are nearing the end of our current stock of Nature Park Trail Guides, and since there have been some recent changes to the trail network we have decided to create a new edition rather than just reprint the current one. A subcommittee has been hard at work reviewing all aspects of the guide, and at Thursday’s meeting we heard and approved numerous recommendations. New trails will be added, the colour scheme revamped, entrances will be highlighted, the legend will be updated, and lots more. We hope to have the new edition of the guide printed in the early summer, and new maps will be installed on the six nature park kiosks shortly thereafter. If you have any suggestions for improvements to the guide, please let us know.

The four previous editions of our trail guide are shown above, and we are now preparing a fifth edition.

Working with the Kimberley Trails Society

The KNPS and KTS have been developing a trails management plan that will work for both organizations and that will help coordinate trail building and maintenance activities in and outside the park. The plan involves the creation of a paid trail coordinator position, and funding is being sought for the position from a variety of sources including the City of Kimberley and RDEK. A KNPS representative, Naomi Hummeny, will attend KTS meetings on behalf of the KNPS to ensure good communication between our two groups. The KTS has also requested that we review its Organized Events Policy and reduce the lead time needed for an event proposal. At Thursday’s meeting we voted to change the policy to allow three deadlines per year for event proposals to be reviewed.

The new dates are: Period 1: by 01 March for events before 01 July Period 2: by 01 May for events before 01 November Period 3: by 01 September for events before 01 March

BC 55+ Summer Games Mountain Bike Race Approved

The 2018 BC 55+ Summer Games are being hosted jointly by Kimberley and Cranbrook next September, and organizers expect about 2,500 athletes to take part. We have received a request from the Summer Games committee for permission to use some nature park trails for the mountain bike events between Sept. 11th and 15th. Between 30 and 40 competitors are expected to participate, with the races starting and finishing at the south end of the park on Jimmy Russell Road. Trails that will be used include Duck Pond, Army Road, Shapeshifter, and Hoodoo View. The members present at the meeting voted unanimously to support the request to use the park.

Eimer’s Lake Water Data

KNPS volunteers Laura and Jim Duncan have been collecting water samples from Eimer’s Lake for a number of years now in an attempt to understand the major algae blooms that have been happening. The samples have been sent away to a lab for analysis, and the results indicate some elevated levels of nitrates in the water that flows into the lake from springs at its north end. The temperature and chemical data has now been sent to the Ministry of the Environment and we await their response and suggestions.

We have been seeing some significant algae blooms in Eimer's Lake in recent years.

Convening our Events Committee and Trail Maintenance Committee

At our meeting this week we briefly discussed the need to convene two committees at our March meeting. One committee will be asked to find volunteer leaders for our spring, summer and fall guided events, and to create a schedule of outings for the year. The other committee will meet to discuss priorities for trail maintenance and improvement, and make a list of work that needs to be done. If you have any ideas about events or trail maintenance, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Kent at jkgoodwin@shaw.ca and we will include your suggestions in our plans.