Havenwood Park

Havenwood Park is a 16.5-hectare (40 acre) parcel of land located amid an established single family residential area in the south of Colwood. The property was acquired by the province in the 1970’s for a housing land bank. In 1981, the property was subdivided for the construction of Veterans Memorial Parkway. The property, bisected by Veterans Memorial Parkway, is comprised of 12.4-hectare portion west of this road and 4.1-hectare east of it. In 2002, Havenwood Park was acquired by the City of Colwood for the environmental benefit it provides in the heart of a growing community and for the recreation opportunities it provides to residents of Colwood. Today, the City of Colwood and HAT hold co-covenants on the property.

**A Home for Nature**

This park is well connected to other surrounding natural areas such as Ocean View Park and provides important habitat for many native plants and wildlife species in the region.
Within this protected area, there are five wetlands that are part of the Latoria Creek watershed. The water and soils of the wetlands provide habitat for unique vegetation communities, benthic organisms (e.g. insects, worms, etc) and wildlife. They are also watering holes for birds and mammals.
There are three small streams that originate or flow through the park. All are tributaries to Latoria Creek and flow generally south on a seasonal or permanent basis.

The park has seven areas of bedrock outcrop that are unique and sensitive ecosystems. These outcrops are clearings in the forest cover of the landscape and are characterized by a sensitive moss layer loosely attached to the surface of exposed bedrock, indigenous grasses and perennials and stands of arbutus trees and or Garry oaks. In addition to the opportunity these areas provide for users to see a unique feature of the park, they also provide vantage points for panoramic views over the community and beyond.

Community-based volunteer restoration & stewardship - Friends of Havenwood Park

Like many other sites in the South Island region, both natural and otherwise, Havenwood Park has been colonized by a variety of invasive plant species (e.g., Scotch broom, English holly). While the origin and appearance of invasive species vary, they share common characteristics: the ability to colonize natural and disturbed sites, outcompete indigenous vegetation and be resistant to natural predators. These characteristics ensure that, without human intervention, these invasive species will proliferate and endanger indigenous species.

Thanks to our dedicated volunteer stewardship group, the Friends of Havenwood Park, who meet in the park every week at 1pm on Fridays, many areas of this park have been cleared of one invasive species or another.

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