User:Raspberrymint/sandbox

sections I wrote for the Kanaka Creek Regional Park article-

Lead
Kanaka Creek Regional Park has a rich history- the first purchase of land for the park by the City of Maple Ridge occurred in the late 1970s, and the land is the traditional unceded territory of the Katzie, Kwantlen, Matsqui, Musqueam, Semiahmoo, and Tseil-Waututh peoples. Recently, misuse of the land has negatively changed parts of the park. To fix this issue, Metro Vancouver Regional Parks implemented a 20 year management plan in 2004 with the assistance of the Katzie First Nation among other groups, and the University of Victoria (UVIC) completed a restoration project in areas of the park in 2022.

History
In the late 1970s, the City of Maple Ridge started buying out private properties within the proposed borders of the park, which lead to pushback from those who had property in the watershed. Following this, an agreement was made in 1981 that would protect as much of the watershed as possible and uproot as few residents as possible, leading to the linear shape of the park that fulfilled the original goal of creating an area for recreation while protecting the natural landscape. The final land purchase and addition to the park was made in 1993.

Groups Involved
A number of groups have interest in this park. Kanaka Creek Regional Park is operated by Metro Vancouver Regional Parks, and hosts the Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership Society (KEEPS), which operates the Bell-Irving Hatchery and the Kanaka Creek Watershed Stewardship Centre. KEEPS holds events in the park like Return of the Salmon day and educational open houses for free. They also host paid educational programs in the park and can visit classrooms as well. The Katzie First Nation was also involved in the creation of the current management plan.

Management Plan
Alongside the Katzie First Nation, KEEPS, the Alouette Field Naturalists, and the City of Maple Ridge, Metro Vancouver Regional Parks (as the operator of the park) created a management plan for the park in 2004. It was set to remain the management plan for 20 years. The plan considers human intrusion through unauthorized trails and dumping, visitors in the park, the status of species in the park, areas of the park susceptible to damage, resources in the park, and the location of the park in consideration to other greenways in the area. Goals of this management strategy include protecting all ecosystems in the park from downgrading, and maintaining the recreational areas of the park by promoting activities that do not harm the area.

^^^ Breanna and I both worked on this section- I believe this is what i wrote for it, but our words definitely got mixed together in this paragraph.

Restoration Efforts of Misused Areas
Kanaka Creek Regional Park underwent a successful restoration project done by the University of Victoria (UVIC) in 2022 which included planting a number of native plants to close off an area with unauthorized human activity. The unauthorized activity includes unsanctioned trails being created and the construction of unauthorized bike jumps off trail along with other misuse of the park, which lead to a loss of plant life. As part of the project, new fences have been implemented in these areas to discourage the misuse. After the project was completed, the University of Victoria (UVIC) team recommended that there be more work done to educate the public on proper trail usage to maintain the health of the park.