FOCI: Maintaining Mansons Landing Provincial Park

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) has been helping BC Parks maintain Mansons Landing Provincial Park since 2016. 

“ We've been doing various improvements over time. That included removing broom from the Spit, signage to help interpret what's down there and also fencing to prevent erosion. We've just finished two new sections of fencing,” explained Helen Hall, Executive Director of FOCI.

"One is at the end of the Spit to stop further erosion. The banks are very fragile and the existing fencing wasn't enough to stop people climbing down the banks. There has been a long history of First Nations usage of what is now the park, and my understanding is that a large part of the Spit is actually midden. It has archaeological interest. You can see all  the shells  in the sand on the banks very clearly when you walk along the beach. We want to keep the Spit intact. I'd say a significant portion of the erosion is caused by people climbing down onto the banks."

"The other piece was some fencing next to the parking lot. That's been put in largely to try and protect what's called coastal sand ecosystem.  If you go onto the beach, you'll notice this grassy looking plant community, which is actually quite rare in BC and it's also very fragile. The plant you see all year round, which looks very grassy, is called Dune Wild Rye. There's also Beech Pea,  Silver Burr Weed, and Gumweed. We're just hoping that people  stay out of that area and stick to the trails."

"Around 2017 or 2018, we put up a sign explaining about the coastal sand ecosystems. In the summer BC Parks will be putting up a little bit more signage about the plants , to try and encourage people to stay out of those areas."

"We've been working with BC parks to protect that area now for six years."

"When we started in 2016, it was heavily shaded by Scotch Broom. Our very first task was to remove the Broom, and we go back every winter.  We've got one coming up now in March. We do a Broom Bash with the community to cut back any regrowth.”

"I should just add all of the work we're doing there is funded by a grant we get from BC Parks."