The County of Grande Prairie is moving forward with its plan for an outdoor recreation area just south of the city. The Wapiti Recreation Area Management plan proposes converting two gravel leases on 130 hectares of land north of the Wapiti River and east of Highway 40.
County staff did a round of public consultation this fall, and Parks & Recreation Manager Christine Rawlins says the response was positive.
“The feedback we received during our public consultation process was overwhelmingly in favour of our concept for the site. We know that outdoor recreation is a high priority for local citizens, so this project is a really good fit for our region.”
Council has committed $150,000 to develop the area in its 2018 interim budget. Alberta Environment and Parks has reportedly said it is working on assigning the recreation lease, which would give the County responsibility for the site. Once that’s done, work can start.
As one gravel pit is still in use, development will happen in stages. The first will be multi-use trails for snowshoeing, walking, and cycling, as well as a day use area.
Since the area has been identified by the province as environmentally sensitive, no motorized vehicles or hunting will be allowed. Off-highway vehicles can still be run in the Crown land north of the gravel pits.