La Mesa Ecopark
La Mesa Resort Zone
Logo of La Mesa Ecopark
The ecopark pond in November 2011
The ecopark pond in November 2011
Approximate boundaries of La Mesa Ecopark are shown in light green.
LocationEast Fairview, Greater Lagro, Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines
Coordinates14°42′43″N 121°04′27.5″E / 14.71194°N 121.074306°E / 14.71194; 121.074306
Area33 hectares (82 acres)
Opened1950s
FounderMetropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System
EtymologyLa Mesa Watershed Reservation
Owned byQuezon City Parks Development and Administration Department
Operated byLa Mesa Ecopark Administration
ABS-CBN Foundation
Visitors280,000 (in 2011)[1]
WebsiteFacebook page

The La Mesa Ecopark is a public park located in Greater Lagro, Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines.

History

Covering an area of 33 hectares (82 acres) the public park is located along the natural boundary of the La Mesa Watershed Reservation and its elevation is about 40 metres (130 ft) below than the reservoir.[2]

After years of neglect,[3] the park underwent a renovation under the "Save La Mesa Watershed Project", a collaboration between Bantay Kalikasan, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System and the local government of Quezon City.[2] A fund amounting to ₱247 million was raised for the rehabilitation of the park.[4] It was reopened in September 2004 and was renamed as "La Mesa Ecopark".[2]

In 2019, it was proposed that the park be renamed as Gina Lopez Ecopark to commemorate Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation chairperson Gina Lopez who in 1999 established Bantay Kalikasan which had a role in the ecopark's rehabilitation.[5]

Facilities

Among the activities that can be done by visitors in the park are hiking, mountain-biking, horseback riding, rappelling, zip-lining and fishing. They can also paddle boat ride in the lagoon. The park also has an "Ecotrail" and an orchidarium.[3]

The park also hosts a swimming complex which was opened in 2011. It had previous one which was destroyed by Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) in September 2009. In a 2011 report, the park has annual visitor rate of 280 thousand people.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Villanueva, Rhodina Villanueva (6 March 2011). "Ecopark opens new swimming complex". Philippine Star. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "PPP Days 2010 - La Mesa Watershed Ecopark" (PDF). Asian Development Bank. 24 March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Gardens and Parks". Quezon City Government. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  4. "Of Saving the La Mesa Watershed: An alliance built on Trust and Love for the Environment". ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  5. "Belmonte backs renaming La Mesa Ecopark after Gina Lopez". Rappler. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
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