There is a lot of mention about a national park in the South Okanagan in print and people in support of it.
What I am noticing is there are a lot more people not in support of having this here as well. There are reasons, I feel, need to be heard as to why people are against having a national park here.
First is teaching our children, the future generation, how to appreciate nature, navigate and survive in the bush. There have been many times I have gone up and caught people dumping their garbage and old furniture down hillsides rather than paying to get rid of it properly. People who do not hunt and have no care about what they are doing to the environment or the animals in that area. People whose parents, I am assuming, didn’t teach them the importance of doing their part in looking after nature. My children pick up garbage anytime they are in the bush, via hunting or camping, and put it in their backpacks, pockets or bag we have set aside. Everyone needs to do their part in caring otherwise nothing will ever change.
Second, is there mention of having the national park so it gets rid of the hunting in the area thus save all the animals. Here are some true facts about hunting I am sure some do not know. It is regulated, you can only harvest what’s allowed in the hunting regulations book that you can pick up at the local government office or even places like Canadian Tire. If hunting is taken out of the area then you risk overpopulation of animals. The wildlife will outgrow their habitat which will lead to their starvation, sickness, disease and death. Disease and sickness would then spread to the carnivores that eat the weak.
Hunters harvest the wildlife as set by the B.C. hunting regulations to prevent this. Most of the animal is used and what can’t be used is left to later be discovered by other wildlife and feed them and their young. Nothing is wasted.
So as an animal lover what would you rather see?
I thank you for your time.
Letitia Best
Oliver