Dear Editor:

Are we in danger of destroying a beautiful and natural area? Are we guilty of negligence? Do money and self-interest take priority over preserving a natural area for our children and grand children?

The decision is ours to make.

I recently read an article in the April 26 edition of the Oliver Chronicle about a BC Wildlife Federation meeting in Oliver.

According to the article, there have been significant declines in both wildlife and fish stocks in British Columbia.

Mountain caribou, for example, have dropped in numbers from 400 animals to 130 between 1978 and 2014. They are now considered an endangered species.

In a National Post article the next day, Graeme Hamilton wrote that a small herd of 15 caribou near Val d’Or will be rounded up next year and moved for their own protection.

The reason? Their 1,000-square kilometre habitat has been “… invaded over the past decades by loggers, sportsmen and thrill seekers on ATVs.”

In order to preserve them, the caribou will be chased on to a frozen lake, netted one-by-one and then shipped to a zoo.

In southern B.C. – along with other parts of Canada – the Burrowing Owl was a common sight.

In the 1980s, however, their numbers began to drop significantly due to the use of chemical pesticides. The pesticides were used to ‘control’ ground squirrels (gophers) and grasshoppers.

Eventually, Burrowing Owls were exterminated here in the South Okanagan.

Thankfully, pairs of birds from other parts of Canada and the U.S. have been reintroduced back into our grassland area, but they need more human help.

I think that natural areas are very good for all people. Have you gone for a walk or hike with your family and felt the wind against your face, and heard the songs of songbirds?

I am sure that you met others on your walks and had a pleasant conversation. I believe that natural areas strengthen communities.

Some people believe ( “Strong Opposition For National Park” in the Penticton Herald dated April 18, 2017) that parks exclude people by limiting their ability to enjoy their pursuits.

If the natural areas are bought up by developers, and the wild animals and plants are eradicated, no one will enjoy the natural areas.

Our children and grandchildren will have to go to the zoo and natural history museum to see what wild animals and plants used to look like.

We have an opportunity to preserve wild areas for not only ourselves, but future generations.

In my opinion, we cannot leave this responsibility up to our provincial government. They have chronically underfunded provincial parks, and provided poor leadership.

It is essential that a national park be established in the South Okanagan.

A park will be economically beneficial to all of our communities and it will ensure that our beautiful, natural areas are preserved.

It is essential that a national park be established in the South Okanagan-Similkameen – a park worthy of international recognition, one that includes Mount Kobau and has enough space to truly protect all of the endangered species and ecosystems that makes this place home.

It will be economically beneficial to all of our communities, and it will ensure that our beautiful, natural areas are preserved for generations to come.

The decision is ours to make.

Ian Hunt

Oliver, B.C.