South Okanagan-Similkameen National Park

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The South Okanagan-Similkameen National Park is a national park intended to protect the desert, grassland (grassland) and yellow pine areas in the south of the Canadian province of British Columbia . It is to arise in the south of the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys ( Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen ), near the places Osoyoos , Oliver and Keremeos . The decision to set up the park should be made in late 2008 or 2009, but investigations were still ongoing in late 2010. A corresponding petition was signed by around 10,000 citizens by January 2010.

The Similkameen River near Keremeos

So far, the area is only partially protected under the name South Okanagan Grasslands Protected Area . The four protected areas at Mt. Kobau, Kilpoola, Chopaka East and Chopaka West have protected at least three plant species that only occur there since the opening of the protected area on April 18, 2001. There are also numerous species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians that are threatened with extinction.

This area is home to canyon wren ( Catherpes mexicanus , family wren ), great badger , white-headed woodpecker , tiger salamander , spotted bat , mountain mockingbird ( Oreoscoptes montanus , family mockingbird ) and the New Mexico shovelfoot ( Spea intermontana ), a rare species of toad . There are also rattlesnakes and numerous species of cacti, but also mountain goats in the higher alpine regions.

In the remote region of the park, would follow a study by the South Okanagan-Similkameen National Park Steering Committee in 2006, strong economic consequences, because one expects some 70 million dollars of investment, more than 800 full-time positions, to around four million Dollars in tax revenue per year.

As is so often the case with the establishment of large-scale protected areas, some groups oppose it because they fear disadvantages such as the restriction of collecting and hunting rights that would affect the Indians ( First Nations ) living there . This applies to the Okanagan , for example . These should be accommodated insofar as the envisaged hunting bans should only affect non-Indian hunters who are not dependent on hunting for a living or for cultural reasons. In addition, residents should only sell their land within the park boundaries if they agree - a concept that Canadian parks have been pursuing for a long time. In addition, there are areas that are intended to replace lost pastureland.

Negotiations to establish co-management with the First Nations are still ongoing, with the Gwaii-Haanas National Park on Haida Gwaii as a reference .

In mid-January 2010, 9,680 citizens signed a petition to set up the national park.

The area is endangered by a planned dam on the territory of the USA. Shanker's Bend Dam is to be built there in Washington State , which would flood the Similkameen Valley. Both the government of British Columbia and the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen as well as the Okanagan Nation Alliance reject the construction, but the federal government has not taken any steps in this regard.

In addition, the boundaries of the park are still unclear. Proponents fear that Vaseux Lake, which forms the core of the twelve-acre Vaseux Lake Provincial Park , could not be included in the national park. The same applies to the 266 hectare White Lake Provincial Park .

In April 2015, more than three out of four local residents voted in favor of establishing a national park. In September 2015, the provincial government asked for a public hearing until October 12th.

See also

National parks in Canada

Web links

Remarks

  1. ^ South Okanagan Grasslands Protected Area
  2. ↑ The current status can be found here: Help establish a South Okanagan-Similkameen National Park Reserve ( Memento of the original from January 19, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sosnationalpark.ca
  3. ↑ Vaseux Lake Provincial Park
  4. ^ White Lake Provincial Park
  5. ↑ Local support for National Park in South Okanagan-Similkameen grows to over 3: 1 in favor , South Okanagan-Similkameen National Park Network (SOSNPN), April 8, 2015.
  6. ^ Protected Areas Framework for British Columbia's South Okanagan: Invitation for Public Feedback , BC Parks

Coordinates: 49 ° 10 ′  N , 119 ° 40 ′  W