By ROY WOOD

Two weeks after a plea from the “yes” side in the national park debate, Oliver council heard Monday from hunting and ranching interests, who are against the idea.

Jesse Zeman, a director of the BC Wildlife Federation, told council that the recent record of Parks Canada shows it is moving away from an emphasis on preserving biodiversity in Canada’s national parks. Rather, he said, the emphasis has been on commercialization and privatization.

He pointed to ski-hill expansions as an example. In Jasper National Park, the growing ski area will directly affect the Marmot Basin caribou herd. And in Lake Louise skiers will further encroach on wilderness areas, including grizzly bear habitat.

As for the proposed South Okanagan Similkameen national park preserve, Zeman said the provincial government is better suited to protect the land and its species. He pointed out that the province has done a superior job in BC of protecting mountain caribou herds than has Parks Canada.

As an advocate for hunters and anglers, the BCWF objects to the restrictions that would be placed on those activities in a national park. Non-first-nation hunting and fishing, horseback riding and motorized recreation would all be outlawed in a national park, Zeman said.

Dave Casorso, representing the Southern Interior Stockmen’s Association, told council: “I’m here because it was rumoured that cattlemen are in favour of a national park.”

He made it clear that the various ranchers’ associations in the province remain opposed to the idea because they fear the loss of grazing rights on crown land.

Despite some assurances from park advocates that grazing would be allowed to continue, “It’s definitely going to be terminated at some point,” Casorso said. “We need access to affordable crown grazing. … If they make it unaffordable, we’re out of business.”

The intentions paper released this summer from provincial Environment Minister Mary Polak envisions a two-part national park reserve in conjunction with a provincial conservancy.

The proposed national park reserve includes two distinct sections:

• Area 1 is about 68 square kilometres west of Osoyoos and is triangle shaped with the Canada-U.S. border forming the southern  side.
• Area 3 includes 98 square kilometres west of Vasseau Lake from Okanagan Falls to McIntyre Bluff.

In the middle is Area 2, which is 177 square kilometres proposed as a provincial “conservancy.”

Two weeks ago, park advocate Jim Wyse appeared before council not only to urge it to support the park, but also to ask the province to include Area 2 as part of the national park proposal.