The history and future of Munson Pond: community, connection, and environmental stewardship

Though it may be difficult to believe now, Munson Pond did not begin as a postcard moment, or a destination of natural beauty that fosters community connection. It began as a gravel pit on privately owned land, shaped by industry rather than nature.  

When it outlived its purpose, it was abandoned.  

As the water table rose, the pit slowly filled. What had once been little more than a hole in the ground became a wild oasis, home to plants, animals, and insects that reclaimed the pond over time. 

In 2015, the City purchased 24 acres of land, including Munson Pond, to establish public access to the area while also preserving space for the future extension of Burtch Road. It’s a project that’s been in City transportation planning documents since the mid-1990s.  

Over the course of the following year, the City partnered with the Central Okanagan Land Trust to establish a Conservation Covenant on most of Munson Pond Park and enhance the area’s naturalization with the help of residents, community groups and local businesses.  

Last year, the City announced that construction of the Burtch Road extension would start in 2026. This project will increase public access to Munson Pond, strengthen the City’s north-south road network, improve travel times and increase commuting options and reliability for residents.  

The project will include two travel lanes, a left-turn lane, protected bike lanes, sidewalks, street trees, new crosswalks, intersection and roundabout improvements and a new traffic signal at K.L.O. Rd., all while protecting and mitigating impacts on natural areas.

Protecting Munson Pond has been central to how this project was designed. The road is more than 100 metres away, well beyond the typical riparian setback, and we’ve worked closely with the Central Okanagan Land Trust and the Central Okanagan Naturalists Club to identify opportunities to enhance the surrounding space.

Design and construction planning have been designed to reduce impacts on wildlife, including down‑lighting street lights to reduce impacts to owls, scheduling vegetation removal outside nesting windows, and completing wildlife sweeps for species such as painted turtles before ground disturbance. Additionally, habitat enhancements, including owl and bat boxes as well as turtle nesting sites, are planned, and any loss of riparian area will be compensated through restoration at a 3:1 ratio along the western bank of Munson Pond. These mitigation measures were identified through the Environmental Impact Assessment. For full details, the complete study is available at getinvolved.kelowna.ca/burtch-and-hollywood-road-extensions.

This project combines multiple community values and objectives including environmental stewardship, community access, and transportation planning to build a project that supports both the place and the people who use it.