School District 69 has had a land use lease from Macmillan Bloedel Limited since 1973 permitting them to use the marsh as an outdoor classroom. The district's Outdoor Education Classroom secured funding to build a parking lot, improve trails, erect a shelter and install a floating wharf. In 1991, the existing floating platform and viewing tower were installed. (The viewing tower is no longer.)

The trails are open to the public on a "use at your own risk" basis. School teachers and students, naturalists, bird watchers, tourists, and the general public all enjoy the trails through the forest.

Parksville/Qualicum Fish & Game Club has maintained 12 wood duck boxes since 1994.

Many out-of-town visitors and families can be found on the trails or at the dock. They are completely awed by this beautiful spot so close to town. Old timers (some not so old) tell of a time when they used to skate on Hamilton Marsh in the winter. We are always looking for group photos taken at Hamilton Marsh. Please contact us if you have any to share. It is often assumed that Hamilton Marsh is already a park and nobody imagines that it is privately owned and any section of it could be logged.

Special thanks to the Krog family for these historic photos.

• Efforts to secure and preserve Hamilton Marsh have continued for 30 years. This time we hope to be successful.· Sensitive Ecosystem Inventory: Hamilton Marsh was included in The Eastern Vancouver Island Sensitive Ecosystem Inventory begun in 1993 to develop a systematic inventory of threatened ecosystems and the species that inhabit them
• Goal 2 Protected Area Strategy: In 1994, the Provincial Government announced a Vancouver Island Land Use Plan indicating that 23 new protected areas would be created and additional Goal 2 protected areas would be identified. In early 1995 Hamilton Marsh was identified and accepted in the second tier of the Goal 2 protected area strategy by the Vancouver Island Regional Protected Areas Team.
• RDN Parks Plan: Hamilton Marsh was included in the 1995 Regional District of Nanaimo's Regional Park Plan as a target acquisition.
• Various Initiatives by groups such as The Nature Trust, Ducks Unlimited Canada, and others have been attempted when Hamilton Marsh was owned by Macmillan Bloedel Ltd.
• Currently: Island Timberlands (Brascan/Brookfield Asset Management) bought the land in 2005. Negotiations between Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Regional District of Nanaimo and Island Timberlands were ongoing for 2 years. An offer for the marsh and a buffer was made in September. At the end of October, Island Timberlands ended / postponed negotiations. See the RDN Press Release . Some dedicated funds will be lost because they are time sensitive.
• Signatures - Friends of French Creek Conservation Society and the Friends of Hamilton Marsh have collected over 2000 signatures of support to preserve the land in its entirety. MLA Scott Fraser presented these in the BC Legislature.

The following businesses were of great help in collecting signatures:

• Arrowsmith Mountain Cycle - Parksville
• Lefty's Cafe - Qualicum Beach
• Dr. Hugh Fletcher's Office
• Heaven on Earth Health Food Store

Letters of Support to preserve Hamilton Marsh have been received from the following:

• Arrowsmith Naturalists
• Arrowsmith Watershed Coalition Society
• Canadian Wildlife Service/Environment Canada
• Friends of French Creek Conservation Society
• French Creek Residents' Association
• Mid Island Wildlife Watch Society
• Qualicum Beach Streamkeepers
• Rob Cannings, Entomologist
• Sierra Club of Canada, BC Chapter

Special thanks to Gail Adrienne and Sarah Bonar of the Nanaimo Area Land Trust (N.A.L.T.) who provided valuable advice an assistance along the way.

An especially huge thank you to the Directors on the Friends of French Creek Conservation Society for all the hard work they put in behind the scenes in this ongoing endeavour.