Hamilton Marsh Conditional Purchase

The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) and Mosaic Forest Management are pleased to announce that a conditional Contract of Purchase and Sale (CPS) has been signed for approximately 360 hectares (ha) of land known as Hamilton Marsh. An offer of $30 million was accepted, with the sale anticipated to be completed by March 31, 2026.

Owned by Island Timberlands and managed under Mosaic Forest Management, the Hamilton Marsh site is located south of the Town of Qualicum Beach with most of the land located within RDN Electoral Area F and a segment within Electoral Area G. The site is bounded by Hilliers Road on the north and west sides, Memorial Avenue on the east side, and the Island Corridor Foundation rail corridor on the south side.

Acquiring Hamilton Marsh as a conservation site has been a priority for the RDN for many years. The marsh, located on the north side of the property and approximately 36 ha in size, forms part of the French Creek watershed and connects with Beach and Grandon Creek in the Town of Qualicum Beach. It is formed through a combination of several wetland habitats including a prolific waterfowl brood marsh. Several species of wildlife that use the marsh and the surrounding mature, second-growth forest are listed by the Conservation Data Centre as species of concern or at risk.

The acquisition site contains many priority West Coast Region (WCR) environmental values including an extensive stand of mature forest. This ecologically significant wetland and mature forest is located within the Coastal Douglas-fir moist maritime (CDFmm) biogeoclimatic subzone. In the absence of a stand-altering disturbance the 100-year old mature forest will be classified as old-growth within 150 years; the area represents an important recruitment site for this rare type of old forest within the province.

To help offset the $30 million cost, the RDN is actively pursuing funding contributions from partners, including conservation groups and the provincial ministries, in the amount of $7.5 million.

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