Information Bulletin
For immediate release 

Saanich, BC – Rithet’s Bog Park in Saanich is an urban biodiversity hotspot and wildlife refuge—and funding from the federal and provincial governments will help protect two species at risk who call it home.

The District of Saanich has been awarded $10,000 from Environment and Climate Change Canada through their Priority Places funding, implemented through the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, to support the development and implementation of a wetland stewardship plan for Chatterton Marsh in the park. The plan will provide threat abatement and restoration recommendations and actions for Vancouver Island beggarticks and northern red-legged frogs, which are federally listed species at risk.

This initiative advances Saanich’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy goals of ecosystem restoration and enhanced public stewardship. 

As a conservation park, Rithet's Bog is known for its high level of biodiversity and for providing essential stormwater management such as filtration, flood storage and drainage control for the Colquitz watershed. The area faces pressures from urban development, invasive species and climate change, impacting water quantity as well as natural features. 

To support implementation of the wetland stewardship plan once developed, Saanich Parks staff will host a volunteer stewardship event later in the year in collaboration with Pulling Together and Rithet’s Bog Conservation Society volunteers. The event will help foster a sense of community and environmental stewardship that is crucial for the care and preservation of our natural spaces. Please stay tuned to the Pulling Together page for future details.

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Media contact:
Saanich Communications
media@saanich.ca