Diana, Princess of Wales Wilderness Park was created through the gracious donation of 23.3 acres to the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) in 2001.
The land was donated by the sisters Patricia Doornbosch and Dianna Waddell (Hall) who felt the land, though suitable for development, was much more valuable to the community as a park. The sisters loved the native plants and wildlife found on the property and insisted “that it be a wilderness park that preserves the area’s natural forest”.
The sisters also desired the park to be named after Diana, Princess of Wales to commemorate her recent passing and to honor the sisters connection to the United Kingdom. Through communication with the Royal Family, Patricia Doornbosch achieved official approval to apply Diana, Princess of Wales Wilderness Park title to this new CVRD park.
Diana, Princess of Wales Wilderness Park officially opened May 6, 2001. The park has since been expanded by a further donation from Patricia Doornbosch and by park land acquisition through subdivision. In total, Diana, Princess of Wales Park is just over 32 acres of beautiful coastal Douglas fir habitat. The Coastal Douglas Fir (CDF) biogeoclimatic zone is limited to a very small portion of the south coast of mainland BC, and southeast portion of Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands.