French Creek Community Park Upgrades

Park protection and enhancement for the ecology has began for the project. Construction of split rail fencing along the path will take place in late May and early June 2024. Work is expected to take two - three weeks. The park and trail will remain open to the public during this time. Please remain alert to construction activities and obey all posted signage.

Future upgrades planned for later this year include trail enhancement, interpretive signage and restoration planting in the park. Updates will be provided in advance of these upgrades.

In Fall 2023, Friends of French Creek Conservation Society, with the support of the Regional District of Nanaimo board, applied for a grant from the Pacific Salmon Foundation to help fund the habitat enhancements in French Creek Community Park. In December 2023, the Pacific Salmon Foundation generously agreed to provide $25,798 in grant funds to support the project.

French Creek Community Park is a narrow strip of parkland located along the south bank of French Creek in Electoral Area G. In the late 1980s, Department of Fisheries and Oceans determined French Creek was one of the most productive creeks in the region for Coho Salmon, sea-run Cutthroat Trout and Steelhead. Steelhead, sea-run Cutthroat Trout and salmon populations are now in severe decline due in part with changes to riparian habitat areas along river corridors.

French Creek Community Park is covered with a canopy of mature deciduous and conifer trees that are providing shade to the creek which helps prevent water temperatures from increasing to lethal levels for fish. The RDN and the FFCCS are working together to help preserve and enhance the forest and riparian habitats in the park.

Maintaining a mature tree canopy in this riparian area will require protecting new and existing trees from pedestrian traffic which can damage roots and compact soil. Achieving this goal will require installing a 320-metre split-rail fence along the trail which will remind trail users to stay on the footpath. Bald-hipped rose, a shade tolerant shrub, will be planted along the riparian side of the cedar fence to discourage people from climbing over the fence.

Drought tolerant trees and shrubs will be planted by FFCCS volunteers. This will provide new young trees to the park to secure future tree canopy shade as mature trees die naturally. As they mature, the new trees will root into the river bank soils and improve bank stability to help reduce erosion and sedimentation of fish habitat.

Educational signage will be added to the trail to provide park visitors with information about the value of French Creek for salmonids and define riparian habitat, its importance to fish and how it is damaged by pedestrian traffic. The signage will also provide information on the value of mature and old growth trees in moderating the effects of climate change on both land-based and aquatic habitats.

Several stumps from old growth trees are present and are currently serving as nurse logs for young trees. The park also provides a good example for retaining fallen trees and woody debris for maintaining tree health and providing wildlife habitat. These attributes will also be highlighted in the signage for an appreciation of forest ecology which in the end benefits the creek.