Public Input Sought for South Okanagan Protected Areas

The provincial government is inviting public comment on what may happen to protected land in the South Okanagan.

As a result of discussions with First Nations and stakeholders, the Province is proposing a land protection framework based on five key principles. These principles are:

Additional protection will be beneficial;
Management is shared with First Nations;
Existing users are recognized;
Respect for private land holders; and
Tourism is actively promoted.

The proposed policies apply to three distinct areas in the region. The provincial government is proposing Area 1 and Area 3 be considered by Parks Canada for inclusion in a South Okanagan National Park Reserve and Area 2 be protected as a conservancy under provincial legislation, the Park Act.

Area one includes the area west of Osoyoos towards the Similkameen River, and south of Highway 3 to the U.S. border including the Osoyoos Desert Centre, Spotted Lake, and the South Okanagan Grasslands Protected Area. Area two includes portions of the area west of Oliver towards Cawston, and north of Highway three to the southerly extent of the White Lake Grasslands Protected Area.

Area three includes portions of the White Lake basin area south of Okanagan Falls and including the areas near Vaseux Lake and the White Lake Grasslands Protected Area. A number of factors will be considered when developing the final policy including: protection of First Nations values and cultural sites, expansion of tourism (including aboriginal tourism), protection of species-at-risk, recreational activities, agricultural activities and protection of ranching and existing grazing tenures.

The public has a 60-day period to provide comments on the paper, with final responses due by October 12^th, 2015. All of the feedback will be reviewed and a publicly posted consultation report will be released with recommendations in early 2016.