OSPSOKANAGAN NEWSLETTER SIMILKAMEEN PARKS SOCIETY Spring P.O. Box 787, Summerland, B.C. V0H 1Z0 2010 Phone: 250-494-8996 • Email: [email protected] Editorial 45th ANNUAL GENE L MEETING of the kanagan Mountain Park is the fea- ture of our 45th Annual General OKANAGAN SIMILKAMEEN Meeting. It was an early success Oof this society, the first Provincial Park in PARKS SOCIETY the Okanagan Similkameen. The Park has so much to offer – hiking trails, wild life visions of all sorts and gorgeous vistas. presenting Harold Baumborough’s slides and talk shows his enthusisan for his neighbour, “New Life in Okanagan Mountain Park” Okanagan Mountain Park. A Record of Growth and Change Much has been written about the lack of support – budget and staff of BC’s wonder- ful parks. Perhaps, we hope, some of the much talked about Olympics Legacy will be directed towards improving the condi- tions of protected areas and the people who manage them. BEFORE THE DISASTER Parks are valuable. They generate growth. They generate funds. They preserve natural life and resources, they encourage healthy activity. They are living classrooms for all and can promote love of the land among children. A Slide Show by Parks deserve our unqualified support. Harold Baumbrough of Naramata We must agree with resolutions of the ‘naturalist extraordinaire’ Outdoor Recreation Council regarding Off AFTER THE DISASTER Road Vehicle use our trails and in natural Since the Okanagan Mountain Park re in 2003, Harold has made areas. The first steps of long requested leg- islation regarding licensing and regulations numerous trips into an area he knew well. He had made an unique for ORVs is a good beginning. We hope record of the land healing itself as new life emerges. that the government will move quickly to introduce the legislation. As with all volunteer organizations, the CENTRE STAGE THEATRE OSPS is happy to have new Directors. We Rosedale Road, Summerland could use more. Any offers? March 12 • 7pm We thank all our members for their contin- ued support, and hope they will encourage ALL WELCOME Refreshments NO CHARGE Donations Welcome others to join us. 33526 OSPS poster.indd 1 2/23/10 9:39:11 AM Please used the enclosed membership form on the back page to help us carry out our mission. OSPS Newsletter www.OkanaganSimilkameenParksSociety.ca Spring 2010 • 1 BCs Provincial Parks could be the Best Place on Earth for Outdoor Recreation – but...! BY THE OUTDOOR RECREATION parks and protected REPORt – EDITOrial – FALL 2009 areas are also likely to be our most enduring hey could be – but these days legacy and the founda- they are falling a long way short. tion for sustainability With the grinding reduction in an in the Province, which Talready inadequate operating budget for makes us doubly Cultus Lake Provincial Park, October 2009. Photo by Larri Woodrow. BC Parks over a number of years, there responsible for pre- has been a steady decline in the standards serving them. incredibly beautiful and popular Garibaldi of BC Parks’ infrastructure and services. Lake campsite were shut this past summer, For a long time this deterioration was not At ORC’s AGM in June the member orga- as a result of which campers were defecat- especially noticeable and it was possible nizations present passed the following ing around their campsites instead. to argue that no real harm was being done, Resolution: Be it resolved that the Outdoor but their steadily worsening state is now Recreation Council urge the Provincial This unhealthy situation continues with becoming obvious to visitors from overseas Government to ensure that the Olympic little or no supervision by park rangers as well as BC residents. We believe that legacies include an adequately maintained because the ranger complement for the the BC Government is failing to provide BC Parks system, including infrastructure area has been scaled down to just two BC Parks with the resources it needs for and services. rangers at Garibaldi Lake for a park which the trails, bridges and buildings which are receives 10,000 visitors a year, including such an integral part of this potentially It is questionable whether initiatives of this many tourists from all over the world. In world class system. type can do anything to support BC Parks fact the rangers’ hut in Garibaldi was not primary mandate of conservation and rec- even opened in 2009! Since our parks are one of BCs greatest reation, including the goal of maintaining resources for our health as well as the their ecological integrity. Keeping our park system in good shape greatest draw for our visitors and therefore should be a no-brainer and it would cost vital fro the economy, we think that short- How can we brag about the glories of a fraction of what it willcost to put a new changing them is very short sighted. Our Garibaldi Park when half the toilets in the roof on BC Place! West Bench Property Donated for Park BY KRISTI PATTOn – Western NEWS STAFF – NOVEMBER 2009 alter Bonin enjoyed watching beautiful park for all to enjoy,” said Bonin, Bonin said he would like to one day see a his family grow up and make who has owned the land since the late 50s. baseball diamond on the plot of land that memories on his West Bench “We really enjoyed living up here and I’m he said is close to a sewer hookup and pos- Wproperty, now he wants everyone to be able pleased to be able to offer it as long as it is sibly could have a secondary road down to to do the same. designated parkland so everyone will be the highway. able to enjoy it forever.” A 3.4 hectare portion of his property in “My whole family thought it would be West Bench was donated to the Regional The RDOS directors voted unanimously a good idea to do this and it was a good District of Okanagan Similkameen to be to accept the donation of land from 320 place for it,” said Bonin, who co-owns the used as park land. Newton Drive. The property is described as land with his children. “We wanted to give wedge-shaped with a deep gully overlook- something back.” “It’s a beautiful view property and if the ing Okanagan Lake right along the Kettle right things happen there, it will be a Valley Railroad trail. 2 • Spring 2010 www.OkanaganSimilkameenParksSociety.ca OSPS Newsletter Outdoor Recreation Council of BC he tern “Shared Use Trails” has RE: Shared-use/multi-use trails (These what vehicles bring to a trail. Simply put, suddenly become a significant two terms are interchangeable) single track trails are not suitable to mix definition in the context of the these two categories of users. They need to TFederal trails funding program because a he NTC is completely dominated be on separate trails. There are exceptional commitment to “demonstrate shared use” by the motorized lobby. Its mem- circumstances such as pinch points where of any trail for which funding is sought will bers have made it clear that their the trails need to come together, or other be one of the key criteria for eligibility, Tgoal is to access as many trails as possible. factors such as trails that hardly have any according to the COHVDC document I They use the term shared-use as a way to users in remote areas. circulated earlier this week. access existing trails. An example is the Trans Canada Trail that is defined as a To use the term shared-use to include all JEREMY MCCALL multi-use trail catering to specified trail trail users as criteria for a shared-use trail, – EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR users. The ATV and dirt bike riders inter- now that we have powered vehicles wanting pret this as an invitation for them to use to use trails, can allow for the legitimizing he BC Recreation Trails Strategy the trail. The term is being used to get a of mixing of motorized and non-motorized Committee is considering recom- foothold on all kinds of trails that were uses on a trail as a viable trail project. Once mending a system of parallel trails never declared or intended for motorized a trail is open to motorize use it is no longer Twhere one trail would be motorized and recreational use. a trail that the vast majority of other users the other would be non-motorized but will want to use. It defaults to a motorized there would be no mixed use permitted It is only in exceptional circumstances that trail. on a motorized trail. This would be OK if motorized can be mixed with non-motor- there was sufficient space for parallel trails ized users on a single track trail. We would Applying the term shared-use without and lots of money to build them but usu- need to turn that majority of our trails into qualification by the NTC can have real ally that is not the case. There are plenty of utility roads for these tow categories of uses negative implications for the non-motor- examples across Canada where shared use to be compatible. Even at that there would ized trail users. trails (both motorized and non-motorized) be a need to grade the trail several times in work well. There are a number of motorized any given season. I think we can all agree Our goal must be to give quality experi- shared use trails in Alberta, Saskatchewan, that we have enough utility roads to serve ences for all trail users and this cannot be Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and this purpose.