Oak Bay’s Cattle Point area has been a beloved destination for years, but its popularity might start becoming a problem.
With no marked trails, Cattle Point’s extremely rare plant ecosystem is being trampled on, and volunteers say it is leading to potential extermination of the plants.
Jacques Sirois, an Oak Bay Restoration volunteer, is advocating for more trail infrastructure to help preserve the rare plants in the area.
“We’ve got a lot more people in the last two years, a lot more uncontrolled trampling, people are literally everywhere,” said Sirois. “What were endangered plants in the past, now have become very endangered at this location. They are being trampled into oblivion.”
The park does already have areas dedicated to preserving some of the plants, but Sirois says it needs to be implemented on a wider scale. Although there hasn’t been any formal proposal sent to the district, Sirois’ ideas have caught the attention of city councillors.
Oak Bay Mayor Kevin Murdoch says more protection for plants may be needed but there needs to be balance with making the area accessible.
“I think that more broadly our job is to make sure there’s a reasonable balance of the protecting the endangered species and public access,” said Murdoch. “It’s an incredibly popular space for people to go and use.”
Murdoch added that the proposal will likely be reviewed by the districts parks and recreation department, but said it would need to align with Oak Bay’s long-term plans for Uplands Park.
Mohammed Hussain
