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The appended opinion piece, written by retired senior ranger for BC
Parks and dealing with the rampant commercialization and privatization now
destroying BC's Parks, is absolutely brilliant. Virtually every word should
serve as a reminder of what is happening every day of the week in both our
Federal and State-managed US parks. Every problem described in this Canadian
piece is befalling our US parks.
The good news is, Canadian citizens and watchdog organizations are
fighting for their parks and you can routinely find articles similar to this one
appearing in the Canadian press. The bad news is -- the same can not honestly be
said about any but a relatively few US citizens, watchdog organizations or media
outlets.
Why are Canadians outraged by the corporate takeover of nature taking place
in their country while Americans accept it passively? How much more abuse must
our parks suffer before the fight is taken up, in earnest, in our country?
Scott
--- begin quoted ---
04 October 2006
Parks are for people, not corporate shareholders
Environment Minister Barry Penner says government needs to put roofed
accommodations in 12 BC parks because “parks are for people.” The
truth, according to leaked government documents the Wilderness
Committee has, shows that it’s really all about money and catering to
“well-heeled” tourists.
If it were really about providing better access for families and
seniors, Penner would immediately remove the parking meters that have
deterred millions of visitors to 41 parks across the province. He would
increase the operational budget for BC Parks, reinstate rangers and
other park support staff and make sure that trails are properly
maintained to increase park safety.
While he's at it, he could restore the Disabled Access Pass that his
government took away. He could re-establish the excellent interpretive
programs for which BC Parks were famous. And if he really cared about
our parks, he would stop commercial logging in them and reopen closed
campgrounds.
Instead, his government says parks do not contribute enough to
provincial coffers and that privatization is needed to fill the gap. In
fact, the BC government's own studies consistently show that BC Parks
return $7-10 to adjacent communities for each tax dollar invested.
Lodges for wealthy tourists do have a place in BC - in the 87 percent
of the province that is already wide open for development. For-profit
structures, if built in parks, will change the fundamental nature of
our protected area system.
With lodges in parks come helicopter traffic; more roads and parking
lots; sewage, garbage, and power infrastructure; staff accommodation,
and a for-profit imperative that risks damaging the natural experience
parks provide, the single greatest reason why British Columbians and
most visitors value BC Parks. And far from encouraging BC residents to
visit our parks, leaked documents indicate that the lodge strategy is
aimed at “out-of-province visitors with high spending capability.”
Proposals to develop lodges in parks are notable for their projected
costs. These are not mom-and-pop operations. Conservative costs for the
80-bed development slated for Golden Ears Park start at $5 million. The
cost of a “resort” in Fintry Park in the Okanagan is pegged at $2 to $5
million.
Lodges in parks can also negatively impact wildlife. Ministry of
Environment staff has flagged numerous concerns including the potential
“destruction of habitat and extirpation of species.” Experienced staff
are particularly worried about the increased potential for “lethal
contact” between bears and people if accommodations are built, for
example, at Cape Scott Provincial Park, one of 12 parks slated for
development.
Government says commercialization is a way to increase park visitors,
but since 2001, visits to BC parks have dropped by a whopping 25
percent decline not seen in any other jurisdiction in Canada. Visits to
national parks in BC and provincial parks in Alberta have held steady
or increased slightly in the same time period.
In their panic, government now points to the decline in visitor numbers
as the “problem” that needs fixing. But if a comparatively little
commercialization, like parking meters, contributed to the problem, why
should a lot of commercialization fix things?
Government says they are putting resorts in parks for the public, but,
strangely, the public has not been consulted. Perhaps government
developed this initiative behind closed doors because it already knows
that the vast majority of British Columbians are firmly against
commercialization of our parks.
People opposed to putting lodges in parks are not elitist
conservationists who decry putting anything in parks. It is about
“striking a balance” between recreation and conservation, respecting
public process, and ensuring that ecosystems, local communities, small
businesses, and regular folks have their interests protected. Isn’t
this the real mandate of government?
The roofed accommodation strategy envisioned by BC’s government has
structural conflicts of interest that imperil the future wellbeing of
our provincial parks. It must be scrapped.
The public, and our parks, deserve better. Lodges and resorts are more
appropriately situated outside of protected areas. Put them in gateway
communities where they will not erode the ecological integrity of parks
or compete with local businesses.
British Columbians deserve a park system that lives up to the
intentions embodied in the Park Act. Parks are for people, not
corporate shareholders, but parks are also about protecting nature.
They should preserve the best examples of representative landscapes and
ecosystems, provide sanctuary for threatened species, comfort and
inspire park visitors, and remind future generations of the importance
of wild places.
Gwen Barlee, Policy Director, Western Canada Wilderness Committee & Erv Newcombe, retired senior ranger for BC Parks
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- Privatization 
