New Westminster Environmental Almanac (2917 ... - Douglas College

Parks and Greenspaces
Sapperton Landing Park
Sapperton Landing Park is an example of how multiple agencies
including government, business and community group can collaborate
and have a positive impact on the environment. The province wanted
New Westminster to allow a new Skytrain line to be built along the
waterfront in Sapperton to extend Skytrain service into Coquitlam and
the Greater Vancouver Regional District wanted access for a major sewer
line. In exchange for this access New Westminster donated a number of
foreshore lots that the City wanted the GVRD to be developed into a
riverfront park. The City of New Westminster and GVRD designed the
park with input from the Fraserview and McBride/Sapperton Residents
Associations and the Brunette Creek Fisherman’s Warf Society.
New Westminster Planning Department
Sapperton Landing Park, occupying 800m of the Fraser’s foreshore, is
located at the mouth of the Brunette River where it empties into the
Fraser River. The site is bordered to the north by train tracks and prior to
development had been subjected to a hundred years of industrial garbage
and boat traffic litter. Foreshore provides valuable habitat to many
species of fish and invertebrates but urban development has damaged
much of the Fraser’s foreshore in New Westminster. At Sapperton one of
the central features is a tidal channel that was designed specifically to
accommodate juvenile salmon. The terrestrial portion of the park has
been planted with native vegetation that supplies ideal habitat for local
wildlife. Bird boxes, which are being cared for by a local Scout group,
add an extra source of shelter for local birds. Recreational facilities
include a pier and docking facilities. This park is to be a key feature in
the GVRD Brunette – Fraser Greenway.
32
Bird boxes, native
vegetation, pathway,
and lookout at
Sapperton Landing
Park