Dear Editor:

This letter is in response to the recent Letter to the Editor that appeared in the Osoyoos Times under the headline, ‘Pro-Park Group Funded by Non-Residents With Deep Pockets.’

Deep pockets … seriously?

It is flattering in a perverse way to think that Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Area C director Mr. Knodel and his ilk consider the members of the South Okanagan Simlkameen National Park Network (SOSNPN) to be so influential in federal and provincial circles regarding the park that we simply must be wealthy or have wealthy backers.

Otherwise how else is there any way to explain the fact that the park is set to proceed?

On the other hand, the truth is much more mundane.  SOSNPN members are volunteers, all local (well, unless he considers Penticton and Summerland to be beyond the pale), who have worked for 15 years towards the goal of a national park.

If you do the math on the volunteer hours from probably 9-10 meetings per year for at least a dozen core people, excluding public information booths and many other events, the numbers would be astounding.   

If by “non-resident backers with deep pockets,” he’s referring to the B.C. branch of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, based in, but most certainly not exclusive to Vancouver,  the amount of funding they can give towards promoting the park is small compared to the volunteer hours donated to this cause, though greatly appreciated.

Like virtually all conservation groups, CPAWS-BC is very far from wealthy.   

This is a national park we’re talking about, not a municipal or regional entity, so perhaps one big reason our group has been as effective as it has is simply that creating the park is the right thing to do.  It’s right for Canada, for our fragile and endangered ecosystems, and yes, for the economy of the South Okanagan and surrounding area too.

Good results don’t always depend just on the quantity of money available.

Oh, and if people want facts, not fiction, about the park, the new Parks Canada website for this park is the place to go, not the local rumour mill.

It can be accessed in English by visiting http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/cnpn-cnnp/okanagan.

Thank you.

Eva Durance

Penticton, B.C.