BC Parks Foundation needs $800K to save piece of Myra-Bellevue park near Kelowna from development

The BC Parks Foundation needs to raise a lot of money in just over a month to save part of Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park in Kelowna.

There is a 32.4 hectare piece of privately owned land within the park and the BC Parks Foundation needs $800,000 by Aug. 14, otherwise it could end up being developed, according to a press release from the foundation issued today, July 8.

“Much-loved places like Myra–Bellevue Park are vital to people and wildlife,” the foundation’s CEO Andy Day said in the release. “Today, we have an opportunity to protect another remarkable piece of this landscape forever.”

The total cost to acquire the land and add it to the park is $1.6 million, but every dollar donated by the public is going to be matched by the Wilson 5 Foundation.

“The property also protects an important crossing point along Priest Creek, helping wildlife move across the landscape to find food, adapt to seasonal changes, and maintain healthy populations,” executive director for the Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program Scott Boswell said in the release.

Once the foundation buys the land it will be part of the provincial park permanently.

“Every generation has the chance to shape the future of the places they love,” Day said. “This is one of those moments.”