Knox Mountain Park under popularity pressure

CENTRAL OKANAGAN – Knox Mountain, the crown jewel of Kelowna’s park system, is under increasing pressure as its popularity grows.

Use of the landmark park has jumped in all areas including vehicle use which has climbed from a daily average of 448 in 2012 to 582 in 2014. Event use has gone up as well over the same time period from 23 to 34.

“There are a wide range of key issues affecting Knox Mountain Park, many of which relate directly to the impact of users on the parks park’s environmentally significant areas and the conflict among various activities,” park planner Barb Davidson says, in a report to city council.

“The size, height, central location and natural amenities make this park a landmark that is a highly desirable destination for residents and tourists alike."

Rising some 300 metres above Okanagan Lake, Knox Mountain Park is Kelowna’s largest natural area park at 310 hectares, fronted by 1,400 metres of shoreline and containing several different ecosystems within the rise from lakeshore to mountaintop.

Council of the day endorsed the Knox Mountain management plan in 2011, identifying 22 park improvements worth about $3 million to be spent over 15 years. The city has since spent $600,000 of that.

Davidson’s report identifies the timeline in the capital plan for the projects and notes most of them are behind schedule. The report also identifies a number of operations and maintenance functions that require an annual budget.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.