1450 K.L.O. Road
Kelowna, B.C. V1W 3Z4
Telephone: (250) 763-4918
Fax: (250) 763-0606
www.regionaldistrict.com
September 16, 2003
Two Regional Parks Re-opened
More favorable weather conditions have resulted in the opening of two Regional Parks that were closed over the summer because of the threat of fire. The extreme fire hazard forced the complete closure of ten Regional Parks, and the partial closure of two others.
As of this afternoon, Mission Creek Regional Park is completely open as is Kalamoir Park on the Westside.
This morning, Parks staff started the task of going through each park, conducting a risk inspection. As some of the parks have been closed for almost two months, staff are checking trails and removing any safety hazards like fallen branches and trees, hanging branches and pruning any overgrowth. Once the area surrounding the trails is considered safe, the park will be open again for public use. Information on the status of each park will be relayed via the local media and the Regional District website, www.regionaldistrict.com.
The Regional Parks Department thanks residents of the Central Okanagan for their cooperation, patience and understanding over the past two months, while parks were closed. When a park is open again, people are asked to use extreme caution and should stay on trails. Please don’t smoke in natural areas and if you do smoke, please ensure all smoking materials have been completely extinguished and safely discarded.
Two of the parks will remain closed indefinitely because of damage sustained by the Okanagan Mountain Park fire. Both Bertram Creek and Cedar Mountain contain many hazards and are considered unsafe.