The largest regional park in the Central Okanagan has grown by another 127 hectares, but you still can't go in it.

The Black Mountain / sntsk'il'nten Regional Park was created in 2014, but it has yet to be opened to the public, as the Regional District of Central Okanagan continues to implement their park management plan, decreasing wildfire fuel among other things.

Chair of the RDCO, Gail Given, says they hope to have “limited access, potentially by next summer.”

The main purpose of the 643-hectare park is not recreation though, but conservation.

At least nine endangered or threatened species and ecological communities live within the park's limits.

The new addition to the park was purchased by the RDCO for just over $2.3 million, $2.1 million of which came from two Regional Parks reserve funds. The federal Habitat Stewardship Program contributed $200,000, while the additional $15,000 came from the Central Okanagan Land Trust.

Jordan Coble, cultural and operations administrator with the Westbank First Nation, spoke Thursday about the history of the land within the park.

“This spot right here was so important to our people,” Coble said. “You look up at Little White there, we're aware of the seasons. I can look at the mountain and go, 'yup, Fall's definitely coming, because there's snow on them hills' ... that was our weatherman.”