Bears Matter

Dear Minister Penner,                                                                                                                                                               August 25, 2010

I recently viewed a photograph of yourself on the North Shore beside a bear-proof bin and I applaud any actions that helps educate urban folks about black bears and the promotion of a solution to reduce conflicts. 

As you well know this province has approximately 120,000 plus black bears and they are obviously not a species at risk, thank goodness. Thousands of black bears are killed each year by hunters, trophy hunters, poachers, vehicles and killed as nuisance animals by your ministry. Even with high mortality rates black bears are on the increase due to their amazing intelligence, expansion of greenways and affinity to ‘live’ with humans within a very small range…the same cannot be said for our grizzlies bears and other large mammals that need over a 200 mile range away from humans.

It is my sincere hope that finally, with this damning ‘government sanctioned’ auditor-general’s report, your Ministry will be given back the resources that have been bled from it over these last 10 years.  Species of concern, of interest and at risk need protection in B.C. NOW and lack of public funds is not an acceptable excuse for letting our precious wildlife be stressed and eventually die off.  We, the taxpayers, all understand wildlife need large tracks of land to survive, not over-crowded parks full of roads, RV’s, ATV’s, snowmobiles, hunters, trophy hunters, poachers, mines and hydro projects etc...

It is the citizens of B.C. and around the world who will applaud you for protecting our cultural heritage now and into the future.  Increasing the budget of MOE and increasing protection of our amazing wild spaces is the best public relations move a government in B.C. can do.  Has there ever been a government in B.C. voted out of office for investing public funds to protect our wilderness areas and iconic species of wildlife?

Minister Penner, I implore you to make a personal appeal on behalf of the citizens of B.C. to Premier Campbell to respect B.C. Parks the way they should be respected. Our parks are badly in need of investment, protection and expansion NOW.  The world comes here to see our wildlife because there is little to none left in their own countries. To say that B.C. can’t afford to protect our wildlife is disrespectful, patronizing and out-of-touch with the ‘tax-payer’s’values.  We can’t afford not to protect it now and for future generations of British Columbians!  Our natural spaces, clean air and water is who we are as Canadians and what we value more than dollars and cents!

If the politicians do not deem to protect and invest in our wilderness places and create large protected corridors for our large mammals such as the grizzlies, elk and caribou we will lose these iconic animals and their habitats forever.  Please take this opportunity to announce to all British Columbians that your government will not just continue to exploit our wildlife thru public advertizing and government photo-ops but truly, truly invest in it for the long term.

Minister Penner, if $35.5million a year is ALL that it will cost to put B.C. Parks back on track to be the jewel in ‘Super Natural’ B.C.’s crown then so be it!  It is an insignificant amount of money compared to the privilege of having indigenous species abound in every corner of B.C.   

Sincerely,

Barbara Murray

(Bears Matter)

cc: All MLA's of B.C.

Bears Mattaer Note: Besides BC Parks not being large enough or interconnected enough to support large mammals and other species, hunting and trophy hunting continue in most B.C. Parks! We must tell the BC gov't that we truly value wilderness areas and must expand them and also protect them from destructive recreational use, minining, trophy hunting and other commercial developments in and around the parks.

Rapidly expanding system is underfunded: auditor-general

By Larry Pynn , Vancouver Sun
August 24, 2010  

As BC Parks prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2011, a report by the auditor-general's office Monday painted a damning portrait of a fast-expanding yet underfunded system unable to meet its stated commitment to protect ecological integrity.

Parks without management plans. Parks too small or disconnected to be viable, especially for wide-ranging species such as grizzly bears. And parks that do not equitably represent the breadth of biodiversity across the province, including bunchgrass and coastal Douglas fir ecosystems.

Despite its "declared intentions and clear vision to conserve the ecological integrity in B.C.'s parks and protected areas, the Ministry of Environment is not successfully meeting this goal," the auditorgeneral's report found.
"The opinion of regional staff we interviewed was that this lack of progress in addressing threats and undertaking conservation projects was due to the lack of resources and expertise."

It would cost an estimated $355 million over 10 years to fully implement the auditorgeneral's recommendations, Environment Minister Barry Penner said in response.

"That's a significant amount of money, especially up against other competing demands. It's a challenge with a limit on how much taxpayers are willing to spend."

He added that the report does not sufficiently recognize that "B. C. has done more than any other province in Canada to protect habitat" -- actions that contribute directly to ecological protection.

The report does note that "over the last ten years, the land administered by BC Parks has grown significantly -- from 9.6 million hectares of land in 1999 (approximately 10% of the land base) to its current total of approximately 13 million hectares of land (approximately 14% of the land base)."

NDP environment critic Rob Fleming said in a news release that "given that between 2008 and 2010, the B.C. Liberals cut the budget for parks and protected areas by $6.95 million, or 18.4 per cent, it's no wonder that our parks are deteriorating."

Auditor-General John Doyle noted in the report that BC Parks will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year and that "taking action now to ensure ecological integrity for the next 100 years will ensure that ' Beautiful BC 's' parks and protected areas are available for future generations to enjoy."

The report finds that program plans are incomplete and lack adequate performance measures, conservation policies are not being consistently upheld, and the parks and protected area system are not designed to ensure ecological integrity.

The report cites the establishment of Pinecone Burke Provincial Park in 1995 as an area to protect old-growth forests, nationally recognized wetlands, and habitat for important and vulnerable species such as the grizzly bear, tailed frog and great blue heron.

"Reported risks to this park's ecological integrity include damage from recreational users and aggressive invasive species. However, no management plan is in place for this park."

Among the report's recommendations: the ministry should update its parks program plan to include clarification of "ecological integrity and performance targets"; should ensure that conservation program policies are "consistently upheld"; should review its master plans policy to clarify what type of management plan is required for each park and protected area; and should report periodically to the legislature and public on the issue.
On the latter point, Penner said he does that during debate on budget estimates.

Chloe O'Loughlin, executive director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, B.C. chapter, applauded the findings of the auditor-general's report, although she noted it only looked at Class A parks and ecological reserves, not marine parks or close to 150 conservancies created more recently on the B.C. central and north coast.

She added that the report more closely addresses policy and planning issues than on-the-ground management and the chronic underfunding of the provincial park system.

"They've been cutting the B.C. parks budget for many years. It's at rock bottom, And the government is saying it is going to continue on."

She urged the public to tell politicians about the importance of parks not just for ecological health but the well-being of people who visit them.

The report states that the "size of many parks and most ecological reserves is too small" to ensure the viability and likelihood of long-term survival of many species, especially large mammals that require large home ranges or that rely on several different habitats throughout their life cycle.

It states that "many Class A parks do not meet the minimum size suggested by science to maintain ecological integrity, and most ecological reserves are also too small to ensure their ecological viability."

View the Conservation of Ecological Integrity in B.C. Parks and Protected Areas report at www.bcauditor.com.

lpynn@vancouversun.com
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