An open house to review and comment on a proposed update to a plan for the Serpentine Wildlife Management Area is to take place Wednesday, Feb. 8 at South Surrey's Elgin Hall, 14250 Crescent Rd.
Hosted by the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, the session is described as an opportunity to review three major changes that the ministry would like to incorporate into the plan: "(i) increasing the priority for providing habitat for Species at Risk, (ii) increasing efforts to control invasive species and (iii) strengthening the regulatory tools available to manage human activities within the WMA."
The draft plan describes the Serpentine Wildlife Management Area – bounded by the Serpentine River on the north, King George Boulevard on the east, Highway 99 on the west and 44 Avenue on the south – as "an important freshwater and agricultural ecosystem in the Fraser River-Boundary Bay area."
According to the draft, the site has been recognized as an important area for migrating and wintering waterfowl since the 1960s. The first management plan for the site was written in 1992, updated in 2000 and was to be used for 30 years from the date the WMA was established (which occurred in 2009).
The proposed draft is to replace the 2000 plan.
The Feb. 8 open house is set for 4-8 p.m. For more information, call 604-582-5397.