Dear Editor:
I recently had the opportunity to listen to Valerius Geist, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science, University of Calgary, give a speech.
In his speech he stated many ways that we humans have messed with nature.
The one point that really caught my attention was his statement that national parks are breeding grounds for invasive species and that in 417 national parks in the United States there are over 6,000 invasive species.
I did a little more research and found that there are 1.4 million acres in national parks with invasive plants and there are 1,500 invasive living creatures in the national parks.
Proponents of the national park for this region of B.C. talk about all the extra tourism that the park will bring into the Southern interior. With these tourists would come seeds on their hiking boots and on their car tires or in the hair of their pets.
Increased traffic would kill more snakes and amphibians, which are already at risk, on trails and on the roads (article in B.C. Grasslands magazine by Stephanie Winton).
Business owners who are pro-park are not concerned about protection of our grasslands, but are hoping that increased traffic would increase their profits.
If we want to protect our grasslands – which I support 100 per cent – let us keep the traffic and tourism to a minimum on our grasslands.
Let’s base our opinions on science and research and not on the opinions of misguided environmental do gooders and petitions signed by people who do not live within the proposed national park areas.
Norm Parkin
Cawston, B.C.
