Documents prove there’s no reason talks on national park shouldn’t resume ASAP

Dear Editor:

Congratulations to the Osoyoos Times and reporter/photographer Richard McGuire for tracking down some very revealing, secret documents relating to the national park for this region.

They show that longtime local rancher Ace Elkink is right. Most of the ranchers who oppose the park don’t even own land in the proposed park area.

After reading the documents available on the Osoyoos Times website, only two out of 12 affected ranchers oppose the park.

You can download the documents via the Osoyoos Times website and read them yourselves.

Five other ranchers would like to sell their land for inclusion in the national park and the other five ranchers might consider selling when they have more information.

This shows that it would not be hard to establish a small national park and protect the endangered species and their equally endangered rare habitat, very quickly.

More worrisome is the fact that many of the ranchers have already been approached to sell their land either for vineyards or development.

We need to move quickly or a lot of this endangered landscape could be lost forever.

Besides, what right does the province have to tell these ranchers that they cannot sell their land to Parks Canada and in doing so hold up the process?

Would they prefer that these ranches be subdivided and their important conservation values be lost to future generations? Most of the endangered species could be wiped out if the province continues to block the park or demand that it be even smaller.

According to the documents on the Osoyoos Times website, the Stockmen’s and Cattlemen’s Association agreed a long time ago to meet to discuss the proposed new legislation and figure out a way to move forward.

Now that it is clear that the National Park Act will be amended to accommodate the ranchers, opposing ranchers and the South Okanagan Similkameen Stock Association should do the honourable thing and ask the province to let these discussions take place.

The documents show that ranching issues can be resolved. It certainly is no reason to block the park or make it smaller. MLA Linda Larson does not need to worry about farmers or ranchers any more. She can move forward to support re-engagement of the park talks. Environment Minister Mary Polak needs to get on with it and work towards establishment of the park before the land disappears.

Thank you.

Harry Nielsen

Penticton, B.C.