Plans revived for national park reserve in Okanagan

OSOYOOS — The federal and B.C. governments, as well as members of the Okanagan Nation Alliance, have agreed to resume work to establish a national park reserve in the south Okanagan.

Plans for the park have been under discussion for almost 15 years. But little has been done since 2012, when members of the Osoyoos and Lower Similkameen bands completed a feasibility study and issued a final report.

Joe Foy, national campaign director of the Wilderness Committee, said his members are “celebrating wildly” after federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said there is the political will to protect the region.

Parks Canada, B.C.’s Environment Ministry and the Syilx/Okanagan Nation said the proposed park reserve could cover a region ranging from near desert to forests of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir.

The Wilderness Committee said the arid south Okanagan Similkameen region is among the most endangered ecosystems in Canada.

It said the area is home to 30 per cent of B.C.’s endangered species, including badgers, rattlesnakes, bobolinks and burrowing owls.

“By renewing our commitment to work together to establish a national park reserve in the south Okanagan, we can conserve this incredible landscape for future generations,” McKenna said in a statement.