FRIENDS OF STRATHCONA PARK
Who are we?
We are a group of individuals of various ages and backgrounds tenacious in our heart-filled determination to safeguard this magnificent park in the centre of Vancouver Island.
FOSP
We love the mountainous wilderness of Strathcona Provincial Park, enjoy spending time on its trails and routes, and are committed to saving the park for the generations to come. The park needs Friends to speak up for the preservation of its wildness, to protect it from commercial encroachment, government underfunding and neglect.
Friends of Strathcona Park (FOSP) is a not-for-profit society with charity status (donations are tax-deductible) based in the Comox Valley. We welcome new members wherever you live. Our volunteer work includes research, advocacy (including court challenges), sparking interest in conservation, and trail repair.
Annual membership fees ($10) and additional donations pay for the costs of public meetings, court challenges, communications, park work expeditions.
For membership, please get in touch via email.
Preserve and protect the natural beauty of Strathcona Park for the appreciation of present and future generations.
Summer 2026 – a quick look at what’s ahead!
This summer, the Friends are hoping some preliminary investigations and planning will be undertaken for a project that could eventually re-open a trail that runs from Bedwell Lake out to Bedwell Sound on the west coast. For now, with the support of BC parks, volunteers will look at the possibility of replacing the 2 deteriorating logs hikers have used for the past 30+ years to cross K2 Creek with new ones, and adding a cable hand rail.
Longer term plans are to replace this crossing with a more substantial bridge which would require proper engineering and a detailed plan. This would require significant funding – and fundraising.
The Friends are always on the lookout for a few people who’d be up for volunteering with upcoming projects or who might be interested in joining the board! If you’d like to help out, additional details about upcoming projects and events, things the board could use a little help with and contact info are available at www.volunteerconnector.org/courtenay/friends-of-strathcona-park
Report on Karst Creek Scotch broom Removal Project – May 2026
The Friends of Strathcona Park brought together 25 volunteers for a weekend of stewardship, connection, and conservation at Karst Creek on the shores of Buttle Lake. On a sunny weekend in early May. they removed 4 truckloads of Scotch broom, an invasive species that’s been continuing to spread in areas of the park.
The group included students, teachers, international students, and community members – many experiencing hands-on conservation work for the very first time.
But the weekend was about much more than invasive species removal.
Participants of all ages shared meals, gathered around evening campfires, learned about Scotch broom ecology and best practices for successful removal, and explored nearby Myra Falls together. New friendships were formed, and a deeper appreciation for Strathcona Provincial Park emerged amongst volunteers.
The group’s first project of the year was made possible with funding received from the Sitka Activator Fund, and was done in partnership with BC Parks, Greenways Land Trust, BroomBusters, and Timberline Secondary School.
Report on Work on the Bedwell Trail – August 2024
For some time, FOSP directors have been discussing the idea of doing some work on the Bedwell Trail, the portion that connects Bedwell Lake to the head of Bedwell Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
A proposal for clearing and marking the trail and working on creek crossings was presented to Jessie Moore, Strathcona Park Supervisor and Aaron Miller, B.C. Parks Section Head for the Central Coast & North Vancouver Island, and in August 2024, with their support and the help of several volunteers, spent a week brushing out the trail and installing additional markers to make it easier to follow.
This time of the year is best to hike this route as the creek crossings have dried up
somewhat and the days are still long enough.
Volunteers travelled by road to Tofino and then took a water taxi to the head of Bedwell Sound. The group hiked up the valley and camped at the Gayle McGee suspension bridge which FOSP previously built. The next 5 days were spent working our way up the valley to camp near Bedwell Lake.
On the last day the party hiked out to the Jim Mitchell Lake road and were driven back to Campbell River and the Comox Valley.
For more information and some photos and maps of the entire trail from Bedwell Lake to the ocean, check out Karl Steveson’s blog from a few years ago. https://karlrobinstevenson.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/bedwell-trail-guide/
Discussions with Parks about what still needs doing are ongoing – particularly in terms of making improvements to creek crossings. We’ll keep you posted!