Mundy Park Forest Management Plan

Mundy Park is the largest of Coquitlam’s parks with 400 acres of dedicated Urban Forest. It provides recreational, environmental, aesthetic and health benefits to the community. Given its importance, the City identified the development of a forest management plan as a priority.

Barn Owl Nesting

You may have noticed the two new additions on the forest edge east of Mundy Park. These beautifully made boxes designed by Nature Vancouver volunteers and branded Cascade, are made specifically for Barn Owl nesting.  Barn Owls are a species at risk and have faced many challenges including habitat loss.

A habitat opportunity presented itself with the creation of grassland along the utilities right-of-way east of Mundy Park. We aim to protect the integrity of natural habitat for species at risk within Mundy Urban Forest and this grassland habitat, combined with the nesting habitat of the Barn Owl Boxes, may be enough to encourage a breeding pair of Barn Owls to Mundy Park.

We will continue to monitor the boxes and we ask that the public enjoy them from the safe distance of the multi-use pathway allowing them to remain undisturbed. We look forward to sharing the good news of Barn Owl activity as soon as we detect it.

Resources

For further information please see the Recovery Plan for the Barn Owl (PDF) from the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and info on the Mundy Park Forest Management Plan (PDF).

Painted Turtle Habitat at Lost Lake

The recovery team from the Coastal Painted Turtle Project - part of the Coastal Partners in Conservation Society - will be creating a new sand nesting beach for endangered Western Painted Turtles at the Lost Lake’s south end, starting in early October.

Park visitors can expect some machinery along the trails - which will remain open during the work - and temporary fencing to protect the nesting area. The City will install permanent split-rail fencing this fall.

Enhancements to Benefit Park Users

Recognizing the need to balance the needs of various park users, the City of Coquitlam developed a Forest Management Plan for the park that was adopted by Council in June 2015. As part of the public consultation process for the Forest Management Plan, the City received many comments from the public on dog conflicts in Mundy Park, and how these conflicts were impacting public enjoyment.

As such, Council approved a multi-pronged approach, to help manage these conflicts and achieve a better balance for all park users. This includes:

• Increased Bylaw Enforcement - This is already underway using existing resources. The results of this will be monitored and will inform a future budget request for more Bylaw presence in the park on an ongoing basis.
• Trail Enhancements and Separate Trails:
  1. A permanent dog off leash trail loop in the southeast corner of the park that is off leash from dawn to dusk every day. This provides a 20 to 30 minute walk with an option for a shorter walk if desired and will connect with the parking lot on Chilko and Mariner way.
  2. A "No Dogs/ Nature Trail Loop (PDF)" connects to the Mundy Lake trail that has always been a no dogs zone due to its sensitive habitat. This provide a 1,750 meter nature trail loop available for those who wish to avoid encounters with dogs.
  3. The paved community path will remain dogs on leash only - as has always been the case. As the attached map illustrates, the developed part of the park including the playground and sports fields will remain on leash only.
  4. All the rest of the forest trail system will remain status quo, with dogs allowed off leash from dawn till 10 a.m. daily. There are no plans to change.

Signage and maps have been installed to make it easy for people to find their way and understand the rules. To learn more about Coquitlam’s various dog off-leash facilities, visit our page on Leashed and Off-Leash Dog Areas.

Volunteer

We are looking for residents, businesses, property owners and community organizations to get involved. Sign up for the Mundy Park Volunteer email list to learn about different volunteer opportunities available in Mundy Park.