Lodges in Parks - A Bad Idea!
The B. C. Wildlife Federation in unalterably opposed to the BC government’s proposal to locate lodges within the boundaries of British Columbia’s wilderness parks. B.C. is distinguished by its globally significant natural diversity and magnificent natural land-scapes. Publicly owned protected areas are the heart of this unique legacy. These lands and waters preserve in perpetuity representative examples of the province’s natural diversity in naturally evolving ecosystems.
These special places also protect associated recreational and cultural values that embody the close relationship that British Columbians have with our environment. Our identity as a people and our sense of place are inherently linked to the long term sustainability of the values that our protected areas system represents. They are a public trust in perpetuity and should be managed solely for their ecological integrity.
In meetings with a number of government ministers over the years, the BCWF has proposed an alternative course that we believe protects the values of BC wilderness parks while providing a social benefit to the public.
The BCWF offered in the past to meet with government to work together to find areas outside the boundaries of parks or on a road that currently runs through a park where lodges might be established. We believe that they should be placed in gateway communities to our parks with appropriate activities into the park. This would allow the local community to benefit econo-mically from the operation. We would expect the activity to be non-mechanized and a portion of the fee charged the client to be directed to the park district involved. All permits involving use of the park would be under the sole control of the District Parks Manager who would be authorized to stop or adjust any activity that would degrade the ecological integrity of the park.
The government’s proposal to locate lodges or resorts within the boundaries of BC’s wilderness parks should bring concern if not outrage to all British Columbians. It should be understood that to change the direction the BC Government has chosen, all British Columbians must become involved in this issue and speak out to protect our parks, as they did during the BC Parks Legacy Project back in 1998-99. |
