110642

DL 1599, known to the public as Cougar Annie’s Garden, was crown-granted in 1918 without provision for access to the waterfront, the only access possible. The owner and occupants of DL 1599 have used the proposed Park Use Permit area continuously for 105 years. In 1958, Order in Council 2525 authorized the owner of DL 1599 to acquire 32.6 acres of what is now part of Hesquiat Peninsula Park for access and general use purposes. A 30-year lease encompassing an area of 2.67 acres was eventually offered and accepted “Without prejudice to the right to purchase”. Order in Council 2525 remains in force. The creation of Hesquiat Peninsula Park in 1993 surrounded the leasehold with parkland. The subsequent edict of Ministry of Environment instructed BC Parks and BC Lands to resolve the conflict through issuance of a Park Use Permit. A Park Use Permit will provide legal access to Cougar Annie’s Garden and permit the caretaker to continue to reside beside the foreshore of Hesquiat Harbour and perform duties such as managing incoming supplies and greeting visitors and hikers of Hesquiat Peninsula Park Trail. The permit area proposed covers all improvements created during the leasehold and the 105 year-old forest pathway used by hikers to access the floatplane dock at Hesquiat Lake; the terminus of Hesquiat Peninsula Trail.