A new Lower Mainland destination is in the making.

When Widgeon Marsh Regional Park opens in the next few years, it would be the culmination of about three decades of work by the Metro Vancouver regional government.

Since 1992, Metro Vancouver has been purchasing lands near the convergence of the Pitt River, Pitt Lake, and Widgeon Creek.

For this venture, the regional district partnered with the Nature Trust of B.C., and Ducks Unlimited.

Still closed to the public, the 621-hectare park is mostly comprised by wetlands located in the City of Coquitlam and Electoral Area A.

This summer, Metro Vancouver is gathering public feedback on a management plan for the park.

A draft plan for the park envisions a publicly accessible park, where nature conservation is a primary goal.

According to the proposed plan, access to the lands is “limited to the network of activity areas and trails, comprising about 6% of the total park area, protecting the park’s sensitive ecosystems, and providing habitat areas set aside for wildlife”.

“Widgeon Marsh Regional Park protects extensive wetlands and native forests and provides habitat for a diverse range of wildlife,” states the vision for the park.

It will be an addition to the region’s public parks.

“The park will act as an outdoor learning environment by affording visitors a peek at wildlife, their habitat and sensitive ecosystems,” according to the vision for the park.

The plan hopes to develop deeper appreciation by the public for wetland ecosystems through interpretative communications and programming.

“Widgeon Marsh Regional Park will provide a place for visitors to recharge amongst serene wetlands and forested mountain landscapes with expansive mountain views by hiking, cycling, and paddling,” the vision for the park notes.

A Metro Vancouver staff report in April 2019 stated that the district has a budget of $500,000 in 2020 for the park’s detailed design. Base park development in 2021 and 2022 will have a funding of $6 million.

“The plan focuses on protecting and enhancing the park’s habitat, and creating opportunities for people to experience and appreciate the park’s ecology and landscape,” according to the draft plan. “The park concept provides a trail network with hiking and multi-use trails that connects four activity areas.”

Metro Vancouver is conducting a public survey about the plan until July 31.