Neighbours & Nature

The Woodhaven Nature Conservancy Society is a registered Canadian charity, founded by a group of neighbours who share a deep love and respect for this extraordinary park. Our mission is to protect and enhance Woodhaven’s ecological and cultural integrity for the benefit of the public and future generations.

We work to achieve this by promoting education about the park, hosting and facilitating public events, and engaging the community in hands-on projects that support the diverse plant and animal life found here. From preserving native forests to safeguarding the watershed, our initiatives reflect a commitment to stewardship, collaboration, and long-term care for this special place.

Woodhaven Nature Conservancy, located in Kelowna, British Columbia, is a regional park of the Regional District of the Central Okanagan.

Within its boundaries, you’ll find peaceful walking pathways that wind through four distinct ecosystems — Black Cottonwood, Douglas-fir, Ponderosa Pine, and Western Red Cedar — home to endangered species and historic features like an irrigation flume. Every initiative we undertake aims to protect these unique habitats while fostering opportunities for learning and community connection.

The Society is powered by volunteers and neighbours who dedicate their time and energy to preserving Woodhaven. Our work is guided in partnership with the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO), whose stewardship and management plans help ensure that the park remains a safe, resilient, and thriving natural space.

History

Woodhaven is more than a park — it is the result of decades of care, dedication, and vision by those who understood its value long before it became a public sanctuary.

Jim and Joan Burbridge became the first caretakers of Woodhaven in 1968, moving into the cabin and immediately embracing the land as both a home and a responsibility.

Adventurous and fearless, they brought a deep love of nature, photography, and exploration to the park — qualities that proved essential when, in 1971, Woodhaven faced the threat of being developed into apartments. Their determination and vision helped preserve this remarkable piece of wilderness for the community.

Both passionate naturalists, Jim and Joan devoted themselves to nurturing the plants, animals, and ecosystems of Woodhaven.

They welcomed the natural rhythms of the land and fostered an intimate connection between the park and those who visited it. Joan, in particular, had a lifelong fascination with plants and taxonomy. Her dedication culminated in the publication of Wild Flowers of the Southern Interior in 1989, a seminal guide to the region’s flora that remains an invaluable resource for understanding and appreciating the plant life within Woodhaven.

Beyond documentation and scholarship, Jim and Joan created spaces of engagement and wonder. They carefully observed the interactions of wildlife, maintained areas for learning and exploration, and cultivated a deep sense of stewardship in all who came into contact with the park. Their commitment ensured that Woodhaven would not become another paved development, but a living, breathing sanctuary for people and wildlife alike.

Through their foresight, care, and tireless advocacy, Jim and Joan laid the foundation for the park as it exists today — a place of learning, discovery, and adventure. Their legacy is a lasting reminder that the actions of a small group of dedicated individuals can shape the future of an entire ecosystem.

Following in the footsteps of Woodhaven’s earliest caretakers, artist and writer Janice Lorraine Mairs (Lori) carried the spirit of stewardship into a new chapter of the park’s history.

Lori lived in the forest cabin for 15 years, tending to Woodhaven Park with quiet devotion. An ecological artist, poet, and personal growth consultant, she was a beloved member of the Friends of Woodhaven Society. 

Lori shared many gifts with us, always leading by example. She inspired us all to tread gently, to be considerate of each other and of our relationships with all members of the living world, and she brought a gentle, attentive presence to the land.

Friends of Woodhaven Executive Members:

Leah Shurian, Susan Neilson, Nancy Holmes, Kelly Kaloti, Lindsay Bunn

RDCO Liaison: James Chester

Woodhaven Nature Conservancy is a Central Okanagan Regional Park

or In the Footsteps of Those Before Us…

The forest holds memory in its own way — in the curve of the creek bed, the quiet cool beneath cedar boughs, the returning call of migratory birds. This place is part of a much longer story than the one we tell, and every breeze through the canopy reminds us that we are guests in a landscape shaped by generations of knowledge and care.

We acknowledge that Woodhaven is located on unceded territory of the Sylix / Okanagan peoples. Our intention is to honour this fact and to ensure our activities are based on respect for the land and its history.