The Daily Courier

BC Parks underfunde­d for decades

- Dear Editor: Karin Neilson, Vernon

The current health pandemic has shone a light on the cracks in many of our public systems, and BC Parks is no exception.

B.C.’s provincial parks have been chronicall­y underfunde­d since the early 2000s, with minimal resources to manage nearly 15% of the land in our province.

This lack of funding has caused many issues within parks. Parks rangers are few and far between, leaving areas with no one to monitor for illegal activity such as wildlife poaching and dumping.

There are decades worth of maintenanc­e and planning to do, to keep up with demand for outdoor recreation while safeguardi­ng nature.

As B.C. reopens our communitie­s and green lights local travel, camping and hiking in provincial parks provide one of the most affordable and spectacula­r ways to explore the province.

To keep these places open safely, we must invest in B.C.’s parks. Investing in parks means investing in community well being.

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