A popular trail corridor is getting new lands due to a donation by the Sisters of St. Ann.
The Regional District of Central Kootenay has acquired new parkland along the Great Northern Trail Corridor east of Nelson. The six-lot parcel of land is located on Svoboda Drive and is a popular site for rock climbers.
The lands come due to a generous donation by the Sisters of St. Ann.
“We are pleased to gift these properties to the Regional District of Central Kootenay to be incorporated into their park system,” said Sister Marie Zarowny, Province Leader for the Sisters of St. Ann. “This gift supports our commitment to preserve the environment; it is also a way of continuing to contribute, in perpetuity, to the health and well being of the people of Nelson and surrounding area.”
Ramona Faust, Area E Director and Chair of the Nelson, Salmo, and Areas E, F and G Parks Commission said the RDCK is thrilled with the gift.
“The Regional District of Central Kootenay thanks the Sisters of Saint Ann for their extraordinary and generous donation of land for public use. I am sure that the citizens of Area E and the greater Nelson area will enjoy the property for many years into the future,” she said.
The RDCK has no immediate plans to develop the property.
The Sisters of St. Ann were invited to Nelson to provide care for the aging pioneers of the area. From their arrival in 1947 until their departure in 1997, the Sisters served the integral well being of Nelson’s citizens. The lots on Svoboda Drive were originally purchased as part of the Mount St. Francis Hospital site and are the last remaining property of the Sisters in the Nelson area.