Expanded trails, new playground coming to Bonshaw Hills Provincial Park

P.E.I.'s Bonshaw Hills Provincial Park will get eight kilometres of new trails and a large, natural playground this summer.

Members of the Bonshaw Hills Public Lands Subcommittee unveiled the expansion at a public meeting Wednesday night.

"That it's actually going forward and happening, it's great to see," said Randy Shaw, who attended the meeting and lives nearby in Desable.

"The more trail you get, the more you get to connect with the local environment and you get to see what's there in your own community. You get to reconnect with Mother Nature ... I'm really excited," he said.

Park officials have received $130,000 in provincial funding to make the improvements.

"I really hope that it continues on as it is right now being a draw for people who are getting outdoors more, experiencing that natural environment," said Megan Harris, co-chair of the committee.

Natural playground, with traditional touches

A large playground, which could be complete as soon as June, will feature natural climbing equipment like a tree trunk and a large, grassy mound.

A Fredericton company is helping design the new equipment, which features wheelchair accessible areas. It will also include some traditional playground equipment like swings and a slide area.

"I think the idea of the natural playground is great, but I'm also really happy to see that they've got the traditional slides and swings so there's a bit of both," said Marion Copleston, a Bonshaw resident at the meeting.

She said the new expansion for the park is welcome news.

"The fact that we have access to nature, that you can walk along the river and you can see the trees and hear the birds. It's just really nice to know that that's going to be preserved," said Copleston.

"Oh, [I'm a] big fan."

'You can't put natural areas in a bubble'

Committee officials say preserving the surrounding land as natural, green space provides an environmental return on investment for Islanders.

"The ecological services that Islanders get from that are also huge and hidden," said subcommittee co-chair Megan Harris, suggesting the park expansion will lead to improved air and water quality in the area.

Harris said there's added benefit to creating more natural space for Islanders to explore.

"You can't put natural areas in a bubble. [Islanders should feel] that they own that area, that they value it for its recreational elements but also for its natural elements," she said.

The full plan for the expansion of the Bonshaw Hills Provincial Park is available on the province's website.

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