It's one of Canada's greatest conservation opportunities! It's the campaign to protect Canada's desert, grasslands and ponderosa pine forests in southern BC. The federal and BC governments are currently looking at establishing a new national park reserve in the hot, dry South Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys around the towns of Osoyoos and Keremeos in southern British Columbia.
A national park here would protect more species at risk, more endangered habitat types, and encompass a greater diversity of ecosystems than any national park in Canada.
A national park would also greatly enhance local economies and offer protection to areas of great conservation value. The Okanagan-Similkammen National Park Reserve is a once in a lifetime opportunity to preserve this fragile ecosystem from cattle-grazing and inappropriate development and to provide habitat to endangered species
To be an ecologically viable park, the South Okanagan – Similkameen National Park Reserve must include the following basic characteristics:
- The park needs to be at least 100 000 hectares in size, about one-third of the park study area.
- It needs to include existing provincial protected areas (upgrading their status and protection standards to a national park reserve’s), unprotected Crown lands, and the purchase of private lands only from willing sellers.
- It must uphold the standards of the National Parks Act, which includes no hunting, cattle grazing, logging, and mining.
- It needs an adequate funding base of at least $50 million to acquire private lands from willing sellers, to buy-out grazing leases, and for conservation financing projects with local First Nations.
- It must also include the Vaseux Lake / White Lake region, which is the most biologically significant area in the park proposal.
