After a pro-national-park billboard near Cawston was vandalized, the South Okanagan Similkameen National Park Network had the skin repaired and they relocated it to a safer location next to the Osoyoos industrial park. The SOSNPN plans to make the national park an election issue.
(Richard McGuire photo)
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, a vandalized billboard promoting a South Okanagan national park reserve has been reborn in a new location.
The billboard declaring, “Yes National Park” was originally placed next to Hwy. 3 by the Nighthawk Road turnoff between Osoyoos and Cawston.
It was only up a few days when vandals, apparently with chainsaws, cut down the structure and slashed up the sign causing an estimated $6,000 damage.
But the torn sign skin has been repaired and last week it was erected again next to the Osoyoos industrial park.
“We decided to move it because it’s a safer location,” said Doreen Olson, co-ordinator of the South Okanagan Similkameen National Park Network (SOSNPN).
She said the skin was torn into three pieces when the vandals cut down the sign sometime during the night of March 18 – 19.
It has been sewn together and now looks like new.
Meanwhile, the original billboard structure on the property of Lee McFadyen is still lying in a heap on the ground. McFadyen is a park supporter, but not a member of SOSNPN.
Meanwhile, Olson said her group would be working to raise the profile of the proposed park with the provincial election in mind. They’ve developed a new brochure, she said.
Last week she made a presentation at the Okanagan Falls United Church that was attended by about 40 people. Olson said a number of park opponents showed up and were confrontational at first, but organizers managed to calm down the atmosphere.
The previous week, McFadyen held an information meeting at the Cawston community hall that drew 105 people. That meeting also saw a mix of supporters and opponents.
McFadyen, who said she tried to keep the talk focused on the history of the park proposal and its current status, said the discussion mostly remained polite, despite some strong feelings.
“The meeting was civil,” said McFadyen. “There was only one person who was straight out rude and called me a liar and the chair a liar. That kind of surprised me, but we nipped it in the bud very quickly. The RCMP was present and that probably moderated things.”
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
