It's time to stop torturing the already wounded BC Parks system.

Another budget has come forward for British Columbia and I suppose it should come as no surprise that BC Parks has once again received a massive cut, even as the centennial of its existence is nearly upon us.

Our once illustrious parks system, the total area of which would encompass a few European countries, is gradually becoming a mess of unmaintained, patchwork-at-best recreation areas. Long gone are the days when government employed park rangers passed with a wave and a smile, taking pride in their duties, as they have now been replaced with the lowest bidding contractor doing the bare minimum to make a profit.

This represents a large scale change in the attitude of government toward our parks: the facilities and trails once constructed by passionate, hard working youth and adults alike are deteriorating into history, much like the relics of the logging and mining booms long ago.

I once worked with two men, now in their 60s, who began working for BC Parks over 40 years ago. They would build trails by hand in those days, not small machines like today, even in the roughest terrain for $3 per day, including room and board. At the time, it was a great opportunity to make money and create an opportunity for the public to enter the great outdoors.

Now, their legacy is growing over and withering away. After last year's cuts to the BC Parks budget, they told me how depressing it was that the hard work of them, their friends, and successors is wasting away. Since I myself am a trail planner and designer, I put myself in their shoes. I imagined the many kilometres of trail I have built, the many more I will build, and thought of how it would feel in my later years to see my hard work being left to rot.

Personally, I would feel forgotten and expendable, much as our parks system would feel if it had the ability, when in reality they should be able to appreciate the legacy of their hard work and share it with their grandchildren, much as I hope to do with mine.

Parks and trails are a means for the general public to get outside and enjoy the outdoors, whatever their chosen vehicle. RVs or tents, paved roads or dirt paths, flush toilets or none at all, everyone who visits B.C., including its own residents, have a multitude of opportunities to see the great outdoors as only B.C. can provide.

Not only is this a great benefit to our individual health and happiness, but it's an invaluable educational tool for those not familiar with the natural landscapes that surround us.

The way I see it, the greatest value of our parks system is that it allows everyone to appreciate and learn about the environment. This appreciation and knowledge creates the will to protect our natural spaces, or at least the ones we have left.

If we continue to let our parks system deteriorate, what will become of our protected spaces? In 50 years, if the budget continues to wither, will the forests of Carmanah be turned into fine furniture or shipped as raw logs to China? Will the Juan de Fuca trail turn into a road to service a multitude of resort hotels? Will Goldstream Park become the newest condominium/strip mall development?

With everything that I am and believe in, I hope not. But, with the current trend of slashing the budget, I think we all need to worry what will become of our special places.

We are on the cusp of our provincial parks system becoming far too costly to retain its former level of service.

If this cycle of budget cuts doesn't change now, no amount of public affairs bureau spin will hide the fact that the picnic tables are rotting away, the interpretive facilities are destined to topple, and the mountains, lakes, rivers, coastlines, trees, and wildlife once viewed and appreciated may become forgotten by the masses along with the will to protect them.