From – Marion Boyd

I’m sorry you took such offence at me pointing out Oliver Daily News is your blog and you have the power/right to control what is posted there.  The National Park Reserve proposal has split the community in the same way the hospital dispute split Oliver and Osoyoos back in 1968.  Rational discourse is usually the victim in these situations.

At any rate, you can take your anger out on me but please don’t make the very worthwhile organizations I volunteer for and write publicity for (Sage Valley Voices, SOCS, the United Church, Grandmothers for Africa etc) become collateral damage.  They did nothing wrong and they don’t deserve to be punished because of what I say or do.  As you know, I value and have thanked you for your help with these organizations for many years.

In the past 7 days I’ve been in the mountains for 4 days either snowshoeing, cross country skiing or helping with the school program at McKinney where young students are introduced to the fun winter outdoors.  I love the countryside that surrounds us.  Four generations, starting with my mother, have hiked between Kobau and Fairview Road here and enjoyed birds, animals, wild flowers and many species of plants.  We have often eaten our lunch while looking down into the valley and picking out our own orchard on #9 Road.

I am hoping that the area can be protected so a fifth generation of the family will enjoy it too.   Places like Madden Lake with its garbage and broken beer bottles and Oliver Mountain torn up by ATVs should not be the only future a new generation knows.

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From – Jack Bennest

I was taking picture of the bluff north of Oliver and went for lunch in Osoyoos Sunday with a friend.

I looked west and east to the mountains that surround us. Mostly virgin with no development despite a hundred or more years of pioneers, settlers, industry, wine, grapes, orchards, tourists, highways and biways in the valley bottom.

I believe many more generations of your family and mine will see the same a hundred years from now – without a National Park or NPR. I truly do believe what Joan of the BC Wildlife Federation says that outdoors-people, hunters, back-wooders, naturalists have a way of self-enforcing others that DO abuse the hills that surround us.

Something pointed out by Parks Canada – the amount of land already saved and protected – much of it financed by donations from members of the BC Wildlife Federation.

Oliver Mtn and the abuse/use of quads is disgraceful – the government of BC has acted on that.  The upper lakes – Sawmill, Madden, Ripley must be protected. More can be done by you and I and we should not always rely on government to put a band-aid on everything, babysit our children and provide income assistance until we are truly a birth to death socialist society.

A national park is not needed to solve these relatively minor problems you have highlighted. I think it sad that the vast number of NPR supporters never comment on ODN or the local paper, or the Penticton papers, or the internet because their wishes/opinions might be mis-interpreted by their neighbours.

Society goes wrong when we do not speak up. You have. I have. Many others have.

But where are the YES people. Three signs in Oliver. A couple in Penticton. Will they come and argue and discuss and sit down next to others in a community hall meeting this week?

A couple of personal notes.

Why is ODN so popular. ‘Spice’ to quote my mentor Charles Hayes. RIP.

You have to have some spice to survive. Look at the retreaded newspapers – retiring for sure. Thin fish wrapping material – not spice.

Is ODN perfect. No – flawed to beat the band. Not enough revenue. Not enough staff. But it has spice!

Great photographers. Great columnists – all working for free. Thanks you all.

Roy Wood – former managing editor of the Edmonton Journal – an old golfer from Osoyoos. Michener Foundation winner.

Jack Bennest – broadcast journalist in Vancouver CBC and CKNW – taught journalism at Langara College – an old retiree from Oliver. Charlie Edwards award winner.

Oliver Daily News the – the one you turn to. We live here.

ODN – It is not a blog Marion – it’s a hoola hoop.