Nature Trust of BC - Partnership

Kw’a’luxw (Englishman) River

In September 2023, the City of Parksville and The Nature Trust of BC announced plans to conserve an ecologically important 5.2 hectare property along the Kw’a’luxw (Englishman) River at 130 Shelly Road. The City donated $1.8 million of the property’s appraised value of $2.6 million to this project which contains important floodplain, riparian and forested habitat immediately adjacent to the river and supports numerous species of fish and wildlife throughout the year.

The City and Nature Trust will cooperate on the completion of a community pathway designed to protect ecologically and culturally significant areas while providing links to the existing trails that access the natural beauty of one of Vancouver Island’s most ecologically important estuaries. The City is committed to a higher standard of pathway design and development to support the balance between the ecological protection and stewardship of the area, while allowing people to access this beautiful place and appreciate the environmental assets.

The Kw’a’luxw (Englishman) River estuary is one of BC’s most endangered rivers due to declining fish stocks. It is also one of the most important salmon spawning rivers on the mid coast of Vancouver Island, providing habitat for all five species of salmon as well as trout species such as rainbow, cutthroat, and steelhead. The area is in a Moist Maritime Coastal Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zone - currently only 11.5% of these rare ecosystems are conserved.

Please continue to refer to this site for project updates.
We look forward to sharing information as it becomes available.

On April 23, The Nature Trust of BC announced a fundraising campaign for the protection of the property along the Kw’a’luxw (Englishman) River at 130 Shelly Road. For details and how you can help, refer to The Nature Trust of BC website.