Everett Crowley Park Management Plan

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Park Board Approval

On March 14, 2005, the Park Board adopted the Key Management Goals and Strategies of the Everett Crowley Park Management Plan (included on pages 9 and 10 of the Plan) to guide future park use and management of the park. It also directed that proposed initiatives be realized through implementation of the Implementation: Categories and Phasing section of the Plan through future operating budgets and the 2006–2008 and subsequent Capital Plan processes.

Background

The Everett Crowley Park Management Plan was produced collaboratively by the Vancouver Park Board, the Everett Crowley Park Committee  of the Champlain Heights Community Association, LEES + Associates Consulting Ltd. , Evergreen Foundation  and the community at large work out strategies for the future care and protection of Everett Crowley Park.

The Everett Crowley Park Management Plan proposes priorities and zones for habitat restoration objectives which have implications for how the park is accessed, how it is used and for appropriate amenities development.

It contains proposals to deal with control of invasive plant species, remediation of soil conditions, pond and stream restoration strategies, future trail development and linkages, and measures for interpretation and education focused on the restoration process. It specifically addresses the balance between current active uses of the park – primarily off-leash dog walking – and habitat restoration and identifies areas of the park to be designated off-leash. The following key Management Goals, which are more fully elaborated in the Management Plan, are intended to guide future park use and management of the park:

• Managing the Rough and the Refined – managing the park as a natural landscape that is not manicured, yet has sufficient improvements to meet safety and use needs.
• Optimizing Habitat Potential – restoring tree, shrub and grass layers that, in combination, result in maximizing bio-diversity through a range of habitats best suited to this part of the city and the region.
• Managing Invasive Species – implementing an eradication and control plan for those plants that are literally taking over the park. Integrated Pest Management methods underpin this strategy.
• Balancing Active and Passive Uses – managing the balance of active use, passive use and prime habitat in order to address dog owners' needs – currently the primary active users of the park.
• Incremental Infrastructure Improvement – implement, through a series of steps, improvements to bulk storage handling, an improved materials storage area, new service access, dog waste collection, garbage collection and trail maintenance. Consider the construction of an interpretation centre and washroom building, and a community garden.
• Maximizing Community Involvement – optimize the strong sense of community ownership in this park through enhancement of the ParkPartners program.

This park, the fourth largest in Vancouver, is located at the corner of Kerr Road and Marine Drive in the southeast corner of the city. It is also the second largest naturally forested park in Vancouver. The site was a city landfill between 1944 and 1964 and by the late 1980s, through community support, became an official park. Since this 38.08 hectare park was established, the surrounding community has taken an active stewardship role that has included removal of invasive plants, tree planting, restoration of some areas to native species and the development of education programs in the park.

Public Process

Preparation of the Everett Crowley Park Management Plan was an inclusive process involving many members of the community and was directed by a steering committee made up of representatives of the Everett Crowley Park Committee, Evergreen and Park Board staff. A consultant team led by Lees + Associates Consulting Ltd. and including Gartner Lee Ltd., Patrick Mooney, Al Grass, Judith Myers and Praxis Pacific, was selected by the steering committee to develop the Management Plan.

An open house was held on June 17, 2004 at the Champlain Heights Community Centre to initiate the Management Plan process. The display panels covered all aspects of the park as it exists today, its past and future potential. Nearly 90 people attended and submitted feedback forms. The 17 panel displays, which are included as Appendix I to the Management Plan, covered all aspects of the park as it exists today, its past and future potential. After months of research and consultation, a draft Management Plan was prepared and circulated to the steering committee. The overall direction was also presented to the public at an Open House on January 25, 2005. Of the 79 people who signed in, 60 filled out feedback forms. A summary of the feedback is included in Appendix C of the Board report . The Park Board considered the proposed Management Plan on March 14, 2005.

Contact:
pbcomment@vancouver.ca

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