Kimberley City Council has authorized the Fire Chief to go ahead with pursuing a grant for $2.9 million from the UBCM to fund fire interface work in the Nature Park.

Planning for this has been going on for a number of years in consultation with the Kimberley Nature Park Society.

“This doesn’t mean it’s going to start,” said Coun. Albert Hoglund. “This is just the funding application. It’s going to take quite a while.”

“We are taking this one step at a time,” said Coun. Bob West-Sells.

West-Sells said that a treatment including everything from hand treatment to machine harvesting is being developed.

“It’s 630 hectares and there is a variety of treatments and terrain,” he said.

The City is also waiting to hear from the Ministry of Environment on what do with the 72 hectare wildlife habitat area — where the relatively rare Williamson’s Sapsucker nests in the Nature Park.

A special treatment will have to be developed because of the bird, but Mayor Jim Ogilvie says it is one of the worst areas of the park for deadfall and does need interface work.