Update January 17, 2017
Don't let the quiet fool you - there is a lot happening ☺
Last December the CRD Board considered the latest draft plan. Director Screech from View Royal said there were too many dogs in the park, and made a motion that dogs BE BANNED from the top half of the park - everything north of the big ditch by the outfall. The motion was even seconded and debated, but then calm heads prevailed, and the directors voted to send the plan back to the Parks Committee for reconsideration. We are now into the 7th year on this.
We agree it is appropriate to provide dog free space for those who are uncomfortable around them. In our opinion, the logical area is in the south because dog owners tend to walk the north trails, so we see the natural demarcation is an east west line from the top of the campground, going south. This provides 27.5 acres and would be the first public recreation area as people arrive at the park. To compensate the displaced dog owners, we propose a dog friendly picnic area at the north of the campground. Details are shown in the conceptual draft attached.
That still leaves the plan in limbo.
We have been in discussion with other user groups and are proposing to the CRD that the 4 main user groups have 2 months to come up with fundamentals for a plan. Central Saanich Council passed a unanimous resolution last night supporting this, and we thank Councilor Carl Jensen for touring the park during the holiday season, and for shepherding the resolution through Council.
The user groups are Friends of Island View Beach; the Rocky Point Bird Observatory, the Capital Region Dog Owners Group, and possibly the Victoria Natural History Society. (Another user group is the Capital Region Equestrians who will be consulted if anything arises that suggests a change may be desirable to the trail outlined for them in the November 2016 draft plan.) This is the presentation FOIVB will be making to the CRD parks Committee tomorrow:
A park plan should not be created out of fatigue, or the frustration to "get it done" because it has taken too long.
It should not be created based on who has the most strident voice, or who was the last to speak.
It should be evidence based and realistic. It should reflect nature. It might even consider what nature could become, if given a helping hand.
And it should reflect the love of the region's people for whom Island View Beach has been a favourite park for the last 100 years.
The top down approach of imposing a plan on the people has not worked. We believe, that if approached in a spirit of cooperation and goodwill, the main user groups can work together and list the fundamentals for a park plan, that the CRD and the public will be proud of.
Last week we distributed a preliminary conceptual framework for how a new plan could look. Our ideas cut through some of the obstacles that have plagued previous plans, and we did this without the benefit of input from other groups. When all the user groups act together to pool their knowledge, the result will be even better.
We are not proposing the user groups will draft a new plan - that is the role of staff.
Our proposal is that the combined user groups will list the fundamentals for a new plan and bring that list back to this Committee for approval. When approval is obtained, then the process of weaving these fundamentals into a new plan can begin.
We have no illusions it will be easy. Trust will need to be established between the groups. Tolerance and respect for each other’s views must be maintained at all times. We will need to look at the park through others eyes as well as our own. We will need to learn to cut each other some slack, when passions run high. But what we have in common, is a deep, abiding love for Island View Beach, and this love for the park can carry us through the rough spots.
We ask that you give the user groups 2 months. Our goal is to create the fundamentals of a plan for Island View Beach Regional Park that the Capital Region and its people can be proud of.
Attached is the preliminary conceptual framework we put together recently. This was done without input from the other user groups and will undoubtedly change when we work together. We show it though as an example of what can be done.
See here
Don't let the quiet fool you - there is a lot happening ☺
Last December the CRD Board considered the latest draft plan. Director Screech from View Royal said there were too many dogs in the park, and made a motion that dogs BE BANNED from the top half of the park - everything north of the big ditch by the outfall. The motion was even seconded and debated, but then calm heads prevailed, and the directors voted to send the plan back to the Parks Committee for reconsideration. We are now into the 7th year on this.
We agree it is appropriate to provide dog free space for those who are uncomfortable around them. In our opinion, the logical area is in the south because dog owners tend to walk the north trails, so we see the natural demarcation is an east west line from the top of the campground, going south. This provides 27.5 acres and would be the first public recreation area as people arrive at the park. To compensate the displaced dog owners, we propose a dog friendly picnic area at the north of the campground. Details are shown in the conceptual draft attached.
That still leaves the plan in limbo.
We have been in discussion with other user groups and are proposing to the CRD that the 4 main user groups have 2 months to come up with fundamentals for a plan. Central Saanich Council passed a unanimous resolution last night supporting this, and we thank Councilor Carl Jensen for touring the park during the holiday season, and for shepherding the resolution through Council.
The user groups are Friends of Island View Beach; the Rocky Point Bird Observatory, the Capital Region Dog Owners Group, and possibly the Victoria Natural History Society. (Another user group is the Capital Region Equestrians who will be consulted if anything arises that suggests a change may be desirable to the trail outlined for them in the November 2016 draft plan.) This is the presentation FOIVB will be making to the CRD parks Committee tomorrow:
A park plan should not be created out of fatigue, or the frustration to "get it done" because it has taken too long.
It should not be created based on who has the most strident voice, or who was the last to speak.
It should be evidence based and realistic. It should reflect nature. It might even consider what nature could become, if given a helping hand.
And it should reflect the love of the region's people for whom Island View Beach has been a favourite park for the last 100 years.
The top down approach of imposing a plan on the people has not worked. We believe, that if approached in a spirit of cooperation and goodwill, the main user groups can work together and list the fundamentals for a park plan, that the CRD and the public will be proud of.
Last week we distributed a preliminary conceptual framework for how a new plan could look. Our ideas cut through some of the obstacles that have plagued previous plans, and we did this without the benefit of input from other groups. When all the user groups act together to pool their knowledge, the result will be even better.
We are not proposing the user groups will draft a new plan - that is the role of staff.
Our proposal is that the combined user groups will list the fundamentals for a new plan and bring that list back to this Committee for approval. When approval is obtained, then the process of weaving these fundamentals into a new plan can begin.
We have no illusions it will be easy. Trust will need to be established between the groups. Tolerance and respect for each other’s views must be maintained at all times. We will need to look at the park through others eyes as well as our own. We will need to learn to cut each other some slack, when passions run high. But what we have in common, is a deep, abiding love for Island View Beach, and this love for the park can carry us through the rough spots.
We ask that you give the user groups 2 months. Our goal is to create the fundamentals of a plan for Island View Beach Regional Park that the Capital Region and its people can be proud of.
Attached is the preliminary conceptual framework we put together recently. This was done without input from the other user groups and will undoubtedly change when we work together. We show it though as an example of what can be done.
See here