Scientists push for national park reserve in the south Okanagan

The scientific community is calling on the B.C. government to end years of delays and immediately work with Ottawa to create a "globally significant" national park reserve in the south Okanagan-Similkameen region.

In a letter to Premier Christy Clark, 233 scientists urged the province to "move forward on an urgent basis" to protect a representative sample of B.C.'s dry and ecologically diverse Interior plateau, home to 56 federally listed species at risk or 11 per cent of the Canadian total.

"Within the boundaries of this region, and sometimes in a distance of only a few miles, one can travel from arid, sandy, cactus-covered bench lands up to treeless arctic-alpine mountaintops," the letter said.

The scientists described the south Okanagan as "one of Canada's most diverse natural regions," but facing threats such as habitat loss to development and intensive agriculture, alien invasive species, and climate change.

Although the region includes "two of the four most endangered ecosystems in Canada, the dry bunchgrass grasslands and open ponderosa pine forests," it is not represented in the national park system.

The letter asked the province to give approval to move beyond the feasibility assessment stage — a process that began in 2004 — and establish a national park reserve that recognizes aboriginal rights in the area.

The 233 scientists are mostly from B.C., but also hail from across Canada and the U.S., even Australia, Italy and Israel.

Green party leader Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands, added her support, saying a national park in the south Okanagan would be good for the local economy, help save endangered ecosystems and species, and could be used to promote aboriginal culture.

A national park of about 280 square kilometres has been discussed that generally borders Osoyoos on the east, Cawston on the west, Oliver on the north and the Canada-U.S. border on the south. About one-third of the proposed area is provincial protected area, one-third multi-use Crown land and one-third private land.

In an interview Tuesday, Kai Chan, associate professor and Canada Research Chair (biodiversity and ecosystem services) at the University of B.C., said he put the letter together over "a couple of crazy weeks" at the request of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, which has a long-standing campaign to protect the south Okanagan.

"Science is crucial to Parks Canada," he said, noting that continued delays only make protection efforts more difficult in the fast-changing Okanagan.

"Ecological integrity is at the cornerstone of national parks. The purpose of the letter is to bring the focus back to that driving purpose."

B.C. Environment MinisterTerryLake couldn't be reached for comment, but recently stated that "we are continuing to learn more and to consult not only with the people in the area, but also with our counterparts in Ottawa."