Boundaries next step in national park plan
Parks Canada appoints project manager to meet with stakeholders in South Okanagan-Similkameen area
It appears interest in a national park reserve for the South Okanagan-Similkameen is ramping up again with Parks Canada’s recent appointment of a project manager.
Following a few introductions already, the coming weeks will see Sarah Boyle meet the various players, organizations and others interested in the project, Parks Canada said in a press release.
“I met with her and we talked about what the next steps will be. I think she will do a really good job,” said Doreen Olson of the SOS National Park Network support group. “She is a really good communicator and good decision maker.
“We’ve been working on this for almost 20 years. There are a lot of decisions to be made and a lot of stakeholders, but in the end this will be a really good thing for the South Okanagan.”
Boyle has worked with Parks Canada since 2004 in varying roles across Canada, including at the Kootenay, Mount Revelstoke and Glacier national parks.
Most recently, she worked in Rouge National Urban Park in Toronto, which involved supporting local farmers within the park area.
Parks Canada said Boyle will now be working with stakeholders to establish a boundary for the South Okanagan-Similkameen park.
Plans for the park have been under discussion for years, but little has been done since 2012, when the former B.C. Liberal government backed out of the process citing limited public support, despite opinion polls that suggested otherwise.
The process seemed to go back on the rails in October 2017, when federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna announced a renewed commitment to work together with three local First Nations and the B.C. government.
The idea has, however, met with resistance from impacted farmers, ranchers and other existing users of the proposed park area who fear they’ll be pushed out.
The most recent concept for the park was made public by the B.C. government in 2015 and envisioned three distinct parcels.
The two areas suggested for inclusion in a national park consisted of the land west of Osoyoos toward the Similkameen River and south of Highway 3 to the U.S. border, including the Osoyoos Desert Centre and Spotted Lake; and part of the White Lake basin area south of Okanagan Falls, including Vaseux Lake.
The third area suggested for a provincial conservation designation extended west of Oliver toward Cawston and north of Highway 3 to the southern edge of the White Lake Grasslands Protected Area.