Hinge Park is a naturalized wetland park in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia. Hinge Park covers 2.3 acres and also connects to Habitat Island which covers around 1.5 acres. The park includes a trail in Habitat Island, a walking/biking trail along the shoreline of False Creek, public art installations, picnic tables, benches, docks, a children's play area, a bridge constructed from sewer pipe, a water pump with metal runnels at the top of a small hill, and the Olympic Village dog park. History The name of this park is based on the bend in Vancouver's street grid, where Cambie St. intersects with West 2nd Ave. This park was created as one of the amenities for the 2010 Winter Olympics athletes. It was designed to give historical reference to its former use as an industrial land, hence the bridge constructed from sewer pipe. The industrial land was named as a City Works Yard that was built in the 1920s which included an incinerator that assisted residents with waste disposal. The unsorted waste was burned and left highly contaminated the soil. This led to a reform of the land, and some suggested that the City Works Yard be made into an infrastructure theme park to educate people about the environmental effects of infrastructure. The park was designed to clean storm water runoff before it reached the ocean. The park is a naturalized wetland, meaning this area of Vancouver was not originally a wetland environment prior to its construction. However, the wetland park has seemingly incorporated itself into the ecosystem and has become an important habitat to preserve wildlife. Ecology Habitat Island Habitat Island or Habitat Compensation Island was intended to be a shoreline created due to a Department of Fisheries and Oceans policy, in which requires a shoreline to be created when a portion of natural waterfront is lost to urban development. Habitat Island was constructed with left over excavation material (soil, rocks, and sand). As the island’s name implies, it provides a variety of small ecological habitats for a wide variety of plants and animals to thrive from. Wildlife The creation of Hinge Park and Habitat Island has incorporated freshwater wetlands, rocky inter-tidal zones, and shoreline forest habitats into the dense urban environment of Olympic Village. These novel habitats have promoted biodiversity by becoming a unique gathering spot for wildlife. Wildlife sightings in Hinge Park and Habitat Island include coyotes,