The Regional District of Nanaimo is updating its parks and trails classification system.
A preliminary draft of the project was presented by staff at the RDN committee of the whole meeting, May 20. The primary goal of the initiative, conducted by RDN parks staff with support from RC Strategies, is to develop formalized classification system policy that will improve clarity and consistency in how the regional district plans, manages and communicates about regional and community parks and trails.
Parks that are managed by the RDN will be formally assigned an overall classification that is based on their primary purposes and attributes. The classifications are conservation land, reserve land, recreation land, regional park and regional trail.
"The classification system helps set clear expectation around public access and service levels while providing a framework for baseline risk management and stewardship of these lands," said Elaine McCulloch, senior park planner. "More broadly, this work supports the RDN board's goals for sustainability and conservation by guiding land use and stewardship decisions in ways that reflect ecological values and long-term community priorities."
The classification policy, said McCulloch, will also guide investment and infrastructure decisions, helping prioritize where resources should be allocated to set appropriate level of service standards.
The majority of the committee considered the classification system to be a valuable tool that it would like to see discussed further in the future.
"I think it's important that this gets reflected in the naming because anytime you call anything a park, there's a public expectation that it's available for recreating," said RDN chairperson Vanessa Craig.
The preliminary draft will be presented to parks committees for input and feedback, then a final report will be created and presented to the committee of the whole again before recommending it for the RDN board's approval.
