No National Park ?

[whitespringer]

Recently went on a travelling camping trip and couldn't help but notice "No National Park" signs in Oliver, Keremeos etc. For those of you who live in these areas, is there a movement a foot to establish a new national park? If so what is the reasons for the opposition?
Sincerley,
Woefully Ignorant.:smile:

[J_T]

Of course. IMHO, the Americans want to and will work toward the protection of every course of water that flows into the states. They want assurance that they can flood the land and create dams that back up into Canada.

The opposition? Perhaps the many first nations people that have buriel grounds along the flanks of the river. Perhaps the ranchers, hunters, and various other people that enjoy the backcountry that won't any longer have access.

It's time we had some of those signs in the East Kootenay. The Flathead is endangered and we are going to give it up for nothing to the Americans. It isn't about protecting an ecosystem, it's about giving up control of the land. Land that lays north of 49.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Here's an old thread

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=21177&highlight=National+park

SSS

[J_T]

I thought I'd clip this as background to the Flathead.

If this (the Flathead Valley) is a negotiation over Canadian sovereign rights to manage our land base I hope John Bergenske of Wildsight is not doing the negotiations for BC or Canada. It is apparent Montana certainly has it’s own interests in sight when it comes to mining and coal.

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer has proclaimed at one point. "We are the Saudi Arabia of coal,". A recent article on the vast state-owned coal reserves in southeastern Montana said “… he (Schweitzer) wants a mine built, but only if the state gets top dollar for its assets. He (Schweitzer) said any environmental concerns were superseded by the state’s obligation to bring in revenues from its land.”


This cry of a threat to the Flathead has been going on for decades and oddly enough the special values have not been harmed by the province’s management of the region but in fact enhanced if we can believe any of Wildsight’s rhetoric


In 1983 Life magazine headlined “Montana’s Glacier Wilderness And Others Are Facing Ruin”, they went on to call Glacier “the most endangered of all the national parks” threatened by logging and mining in BC. Yet here in 2009 Wildsight proclaims the Flathead “unmatched in North America “. So much for the way BC manages the area.


The Canadian Geological Survey found oil seeps in the Flathead in 1892 and it has seen human activities over the past century without destroying its values. Despite potential billions of dollars in resource values in the Flathead our regional governance of this area has continued to see the highest standards used. We have gone through numerous land planning initiatives and the special values of the Flathead are respected not threatened. Meanwhile a news report in June of this year notes Montana state regulators saw fit to authorize a major expansion of a gravel pit about 600 feet from the river forming Glacier's western boundary.

Maybe the real threat to Glacier/Waterton is south of the border and US politicians should pay attention to that and let us British Columbians manage our own land.

[whitespringer]

Here's an old thread

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=21177&highlight=National+park

SSS

Thanks Stone Sheep Steve, it all makes sense now. I can see why it is such a hot button topic.:shock: Hopefully it doesn't go any farther than that.

[Kody94]

It's time we had some of those signs in the East Kootenay.

I agree.

Cheers
4Ster

[EvanG]

How about saying good bye to the ashnola sheep hunt and any other recreational activities in the area, aside from walkin around with your thumb in your ass. This includes any future transplants from the healthy ashnola herd to rebuild other depressed herds. It would also suck to see the area turned into another tourist waste dump. Those are my reasons for opposition.

[David Heitsman]

Does the proposed park include the Crater side of the Ashnola River?

[EvanG]

I believe there was a proposed map circling around when the idea first came up. Havent come accross it in a while.

[snowhunter]

Usually, the land B.C. "Land Baron's", (farmers and ranchers) do not like the idea of any parks. Just like with the KVR rail line, in which these "Land Barons" demanded that this defunct KVR rail line should just become part of their private land, and thus be closed to the public. The "Land Barons" lost, and KVR rail line is now open and owned by the public.

However, I experienced once, that a ranchhand, attemted to expell me from the KVR rail line "because I was trespassing private land", and only when I pulled out my cell phone to call police, did he back off.

There are clearly two canadian sides to this dispute, as well as an american economic interest on a canadian sovereignty issue at stake, and I would welcome everybody's input to this little understood, but important political issue ?

[tracker]

snow hunter

You realy have no clue do you !!!!!

There is so much at risk here if a national park comes through ,your kvr trail might be no more ,like it or not..

[Fisher-Dude]

Does the proposed park include the Crater side of the Ashnola River?

This park has an option in its plan to go all the way up the Fraser to Williams Lake to capture all the "grasslands". Say buh-bye to your Empire hunts David, and all the recreation we enjoy in the Fraser Basin too! :frown:

[snowhunter]

tracker, you are very right. I do'nt have a clue about this issue, and would like to learn lots more about it :)