The Cheam First Nation and BC Parks are celebrating the Cheam First Nation’s recent appointment as the Park Board for Ferry Island Provincial Park, in the Fraser Valley.

Ferry Island is an area of special significance to the Cheam First Nation. The park is comprised of 29 hectares on the south side of the Fraser River east of Chilliwack, directly adjacent to the Cheam reserve. The Cheam First Nation has a long-standing interest in protecting, maintaining and enhancing access to the Fraser River for the public and for First Nations community members.

The park provides a popular fishing site and public access to the Fraser River.

Cheam First Nation and BC Parks are pleased to be working together in the collaborative management of the park. The Cheam First Nation Chief and Council will make up the Park Board. As the Park Board, the Nation will direct and oversee the management of the park and has plans for future recreational enhancements.  

A celebration is being held in the park at the Fraser River access off the Rosedale Ferry Road on Saturday, Oct. 29 at noon. The public is welcome.

Quotes:

Mary Polak, Minister of Environment –

“We are pleased to work with the Cheam First Nation to help ensure Ferry Island Provincial Park remains a vibrant and popular place for visitors and the First Nations community.”

Chief Ernie Crey, Cheam First Nation –

“Looking after our traditional territory, and special places like Ferry Island, is of great importance to the Cheam First Nation. Working with BC Parks, we look forward to managing the park and implementing plans to enhance the area for everyone’s use and pleasure.”

Quick Facts:

• Ferry Island Provincial Park, designated in 1963, is a Class C park.
• Class C parks are generally small parks providing local recreational amenities.
• British Columbia has one of the largest protected-areas systems in North America.
• British Columbia’s world-renowned parks provide access to unique natural spaces and superb recreational opportunities for visitors from throughout the province and around the globe.
• B.C.’s provincial parks receive more than 21 million visits each year.
• There are 1,032 provincial parks, recreation areas, conservancies, ecological reserves and protected areas covering more than 14 million hectares or approximately 14.4% of the provincial land base.
• Thirty-seven per cent of B.C.’s land base is under some type of conservation designation, ranging from wildlife habitat areas and old-growth management areas to parks and protected areas.

Learn More:

To learn more about BC Parks, please visit: www.bcparks.ca

To learn more about the Cheam First Nation, please visit: www.cheam.ca