Hamilton Marsh near Qualicum Beach is back on the Regional District of Nanaimo’s park acquisition radar.
“Over 120 species of birds have been seen in Hamilton Marsh, it’s the most prolific waterfowl breeding marsh in the area,” Ceri Peacey told the board Tuesday, presenting on behalf of the Friends of French Creek Conservation Society (FCCS).
She added that it is home to two blue listed or vulnerable species, the American bittern and northern pigmy owls.
“I would think just on water alone you could make some very good arguments… for what that marsh does to the water system,” said Parksville Mayor Marc Lefebvre, pointing out water has been a hot topic in his city.
In her presentation, complete with aerial video of the ecosystem a kilometre from the town boundary of Qualicum Beach, Peacey quoted the B.C. Ministry of Environment’s calculation that every hectare of intact wetland produces $22,000 a year in direct economic benefit.
These benefits include water filtration, storage and supply, flood control, recreational opportunities and bird and animal habitat.
That equates to $814,000 a year in direct financial benefit for the 36 ha. marsh itself, not including more than 300 ha. of surrounding forest.
Julian Fell, director of electoral area F, which contains the marsh, said as a biologist he’s most impressed by “the invertebrates component, which is huge, it’s an amazing variety of marine aquatic insects that exist in that ecosystem, and of course for you other guys that’s fish food.”
Owned by Island Timberlands, Peacey pointed to the company’s logging of neighbouring properties last year as a warning that while people think of it as a park, complete with public trails, it is private property with no protection.
The marsh has been on the RDN’s list of possible park purchases for more than 10 years, with more than 4,000 signatures of support and at least one serious attempt, in 2007.
At that time FCCS, the RDN and Ducks Unlimited made an attempt to buy some portion of the land, with an option on the rest of it, but the negotiations fell apart behind closed doors.
“Where do I sign that petition?” asked RDN director Bill Yoachim Tuesday night to huge applause from the gallery full of Hamilton Marsh supporters.
Several other directors spoke in favour of the purchase.
Peacey said that if they could access the carbon tax funds they could buy it easily.
Lefebvre suggested FCCS canvass the provincial government. Directors Bill Bestwick and Wendy Pratt highlighted the importance of wetlands, thanked Peacey for pushing the issue and encouraged the group to continue doing so.
Fell, director of the area in question, said any detailed discussion about purchasing the property would be done in a closed meeting.
The board passed Qualicum Beach Mayor Teunis Westbroek’s motion to defer further discussion to their June 7 in-camera meeting.
