New Brighton Park salt marsh given the green light
$3M salt marsh on the east side of the park will be completed by Spring 2017
The Vancouver Park Board has approved a concept plan for a $3 million salt marsh on the east side of New Brighton Park.
- New Brighton Park in Vancouver being considered for habitat restoration
- Vancouver wildlife biodiversity strategy approved by park board
The project — which will reverse the work that went into creating an artificial shoreline at the park — is part of the city's on-going biodiversity strategy to restore fish and wildlife habitat in the city.
"We realize how much people cherish these things in an urban environment and trying to create more of them," said Nick Page, biologist with the Vancouver Park Board.
The park board has partnered with Port Metro Vancouver to restore Burrard Inlet's intertidal wetlands.
"It wouldn't have been a salt marsh historically, but you can imagine it could have been this productive intertidal zone," he said.
In addition to the salt marsh consisting of vegetated marsh areas and mud flats, viewing decks will be installed.
The park board plans to remove the park's tennis courts and re-locate the dog off-leash area to the west side of the park.
The salt mash is expected to be completed by Spring 2017 with $400,000 of the funding coming from the park board and the rest from the port authority.
With files from the CBC's The Early Edition and Margaret Gallagher.
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