In spring 2023, the idea of the Bilston Creek Conservation Corridor began taking shape. Although the public first heard about the initiative when a 32-acre nature reserve was announced in May 2024, the groundwork had been laid long before.
That included behind-the-scenes conversations with landowners, the launch of a campaign video, and months of technical, legal, and ecological planning.
“The Bilston Creek Conservation Corridor is a project designed to protect Metchosin’s natural landscapes – and those are under severe threat from urban development,” Heloise Nicholl, a director with the Metchosin Foundation, said. “It’s about ensuring that critical ecosystems like the dry coastal Douglas-fir forest and Garry oak meadow remain intact.”
The corridor includes a stretch of ecologically significant land – home to thousands of plant and animal species – that plays a vital role in supporting this unique ecosystem.
Despite appearances of natural beauty, this isn’t the creation of a typical public park, it's a direct plan to create a nature reserve.
“We’re really careful about using the term ‘nature reserve',” Nicholl said. “This is not a place for public recreation. There won’t be parking lots or washrooms. When people hear ‘park', they think of all those amenities. A nature reserve, by contrast, is for habitat protection.”
Creating the reserve has required cooperation from private landowners and support from partners like the BC Parks Foundation and the Wilson 5 Foundation.
The BC Parks Foundation now holds the title to the first protected parcel. While the Metchosin Foundation keeps the local municipality informed, it isn’t directly involved in land acquisition.
“We are pleased to see this nature reserve become a reality for Metchosin and recognize its contribution to ecosystem stewardship in our broader region,” Metchosin Mayor Marie-Terese Little said in a press release. “Metchosin is well known for nature, so it’s wonderful to know that this special property will enjoy enduring protection."
With stewardship as a key priority, the Metchosin Foundation has worked to balance transparency with confidentiality.
“We’ve had to be respectful. Every landowner has a different vision for their land,” Nicholl said. “Some want to pass it on to their children. Others want no involvement at all. So we’ve worked very carefully and quietly, behind the scenes, to build relationships.”
Much of that work falls to another director from the Metchosin Foundation, Morgan Yates, who manages the technical side of land acquisition.
“For me, it’s been about reaching out to landowners who are fortunate enough to have ecologically significant properties,” Yates said. “And starting a conversation to see if they’re interested in leaving some form of environmental legacy.”
Accroding to Yates, that legacy can take two forms.
“If they’re considering selling the land, we might explore a conservation-related acquisition,” Yates said. “But in other cases, they may choose to register a conservation covenant, which allows them to protect parts of their property in perpetuity while continuing to live on or manage it.”
Beyond its ecological value, the corridor has deep historical roots.
“Metchosin was settled around the same time as Fort Victoria,” Nicholl said. “The first farm there – what’s now Bilston Creek Farm – dates back to the 1840s. So the community has a long-standing cultural connection to the land.”
Looking ahead, more announcements are expected, though no firm timeline has been set.
Recently, the Metchosin Foundation partnered with St. Mary’s Church and Bilston Creek Farm to explore the development of a 300-metre trail connecting the Douglas-fir and Arbutus forest, which would run through church property.
“For me, the importance of this project comes down to the ecosystem services it provides,” Nicholl said. “These forests clean the air and water. They support biodiversity. And they remind us why people fall in love with this place in the first place – before that beauty gets blasted away to make room for more development.”
