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BC Parks and Protected Areas: A Peek Into HistoryBy Wayne Stetski, presented on December 8, 2008. YOU are special. I know some of you are thinking: Wayne, you're cutting into my time to socialize so tell me something I don't already know! As I said, you are special. You care about the land, water and air and the species that live in Parks and Protected Areas, and you care about the people who come to visit us. You've taken this caring and turned it into a job, a career, and for many of you, a way of life. And that makes you special. But you're special in another way too – you are part of the history of BC Parks, a history that goes back almost 98 years. The story of BC Parks is an integral and important part of almost a century of the story of British Columbia. I'd like to take a few minutes to walk you through that story, but to save some time so you can get back to socializing I'll do it a decade at a time. We'll start with what has at times been called the Years of Agony. 1910–20: The Years of Agony As with every decade, 1910–20 included its share of firsts. Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier passed legislation to create the Canadian Navy. The Montreal Canadiens played their first hockey game and later in the decade won their first Stanley Cup. Emily Carr's paintings were displayed in Paris. The first Calgary Stampede was held and the Titanic sank off the coast of Newfoundland. Zippers became popular. Oil and gas were discovered in Alberta, and BC bought two submarines to defend the west coast as World War I began in 1914. Women acquired the right to vote and were accepted into medical school at McGill. The tango and the fox trot were the rage in dancing and the top songs were Let Me Call You Sweetheart and When Irish Eyes Are Smiling. And of course, very importantly from our perspective, persistent lobbying by the Alpine Club of Canada and the Natural History Society of BC led to the establishment of Strathcona Provincial Park as our first Provincial Park in 1911, following the passing of the first Provincial Park Act in 1908. The original intent was that local boards would manage all parks. Later in the decade, Mount Robson Park was created as the second iconic Provincial Park in BC. And so your history began. 1920–1930: The Crazy Twenties The 1920s have often been called the Crazy Twenties which is reflected in the Top Songs of that decade. Yes We Have No Bananas by Billy Jones topped off 1923. From there the hits tell a racier story – Ain't Misbehaving by Fats Waller, Making Whoopie by Eddie Cantor, I Wanna Be Loved By You by Helen Cane and It HAD To Be You by the Ishan Jones Orchestra …put them all together and it reminds me of a nightmare I once had, a nightmare you may have shared at one time or another! It was an interesting decade. The Group Of Seven painters held their first exhibition in Toronto. The Canadian Air Force was established and the first Canadian air harbour (airport) was registered in Regina, Saskatchewan. Insulin was discovered. British Columbia changed its road rules so you drove on the right side, instead of the left side, of the road. The University of British Columbia moved to its current home in Point Grey. Foster Hewitt broadcast the first ever radio hockey game. Zinc and lead were discovered in Kimberley, B.C. The first talking motion picture was shown in Canada. When people weren't singing Yes, We Have No Bananas or Making Whoopie they were making eight new provincial parks, including John Dean Park just up the road from us, and icons like Kokanee Glacier, Mt. Assiniboine, Garibaldi, and Golden Ears. Sir Alexander Mackenzie Park, established in 1926, was the first park designated for its human heritage value. 1930–40: The Hungry Thirties The Roaring Twenties were followed by one of the more difficult economic times in our history, the Hungry Thirties. Dust storms and drought plagued the prairies and unemployment hit a new high. The Federal Government established work camps and in 1935 the first Youth Crew/Conservation Corp for Parks was created as the Youth Forestry Training Plan aimed at men aged 18 to 25. From 1935-40 over 3,000 young men worked in Mt. Seymour, Garibaldi, Tweedsmuir and Vancouver Island Park building roads, trails, picnic shelters, bridges and those rock walls I still love today. Bridge was the most popular card game and the rumba a popular dance. The Beer Barrel Polka was a Number One hit along with timeless songs like Judy Garland's Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Benny Goodman's The Glory of Love, Guy Lombardo's Good Night Sweetheart and Benny Meroff's Happy Days Are Here Again The Winnipeg Blue Bombers brought the Grey Cup home to the west for the first time. Labour strikes were common, sometimes accompanied by riots, and in 1939, Britain, followed one week later by Canada, declared War on Hitler's Germany. Thirteen new Provincial Parks were created in these tumultuous times ranging from Keremeos Columns, to Mount Seymour, to Tweedsmuir to Peace Arch, to Wells Gray park. In 1939, responsibility for parks was placed under the BC Forest Service. By 1940 there were 46 parks totalling 6,396,000 acres. 1940–50: A Time of Heroes The first half of this decade was, of course, dominated by World War II, including Japanese internment camps, food rationing, and conscription into the armed forces which led to riots in BC and Quebec. The Alaska Highway was completed from Dawson Creek to Fairbanks. Unemployment Insurance and Fami ly Allowances were introduced. An Act of Parliament was passed to build the TransCanada Highway. Some classic songs still revered by many Park Rangers were Number One on the charts like Blueberry Hill, Rum and Coca Cola, Nature Boy, Woody Woodpecker and the Song Careless Hands followed immediately by All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth! Ballroom dancing was big, as were the rhumba and the samba. It was a time of firsts for BC Parks. In 1940, concessions to provide Visitor Services could be granted in parks subject to advertising and public competition. In 1941, the first park entrance sign was erected at John Dean Park. In 1942, the first full time Park Rangers were assigned - Bob Boyd to Mt. Seymour and Les Cook to Wells Grey, followed shortly by Ole Johansen at Seymour and Davey Davidson in Manning Park. Ches Lyons began producing promotional slide shows and movies for Garibaldi, Tweedsmuir, Mt. Robson and Manning to advertise and promote attendance in 1943. In 1947, the capital budget increased from $29,000 to $75,000, a new truck and tractor were purchased, and Peace Arch was lit by floodlights. By 1948, a formal Parks Division was created with Cy Oldham as Forester in Charge with 14 Park Rangers in Wells Grey, Manning and Vancouver Island Parks - Park Planning began. In 1949, Tom and Jim Moore and Herb Green were hired to build the Blackwell Road in Manning Park. A total of 19 new parks were established – Elk Falls, Little Qualicum, EC Manning, Hamber Kitsumkalum and Cultus Lake being just a few. 1950–60: Boom Times The 1950s were a boom time for the economy, the park system and for the population of Canada with the birth of one of the best groups of Parkees the Province, no, the world, has ever know – the Baby Boomer generation! 63 new parks were established, including beach parks like Miracle Beach, Wasa, Lac la Hache, Shuswap and Seeley Lake, and roadside parks like Yard Creek, Bromley Rock and Koksilah River. By 1957, there were 117 parks totalling 3.3 million hectares. The target along Hwy 1 was a campground every 100 miles and a picnic site every 50. The first campsite is believed to have been built at Englishman River in 1951, followed by Miracle Beach and Cultus Lake. In 1952, Yorke Edwards was hired as the first biologist and the Parks budget hit $1-million. The Parks Standards Manual established site layouts and the design for the famous Type 1 Picnic Table. In 1957, Anthony Island became the first park protected for First Nations values, and Nature Houses were built in Manning, Miracle and Shuswap Parks. In 1958, Barkerville became the first large historical park. Rock and Roll ruled the decade – Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, and Bill Haley and his Comets would Rock Around the Clock. Vancouver opened its first drive-in bank. Alcan began its Kitimat Project. WAC Bennett and the Social Credit Party formed B.C.'s government. There were violent protests by B.C.'s Doukhabors. Empire Stadium was built in Vancouver and the Second Narrows bridge collapsed. It was an exciting time in your history. 1960–70: The Hippy Era Ah, the 60s, time of protests and flower power and free love, and loud stereos and drinking parties which lead to the first park Security Officer positions at parks like Cultus Lake and Goldstream. In 1962, the first female naturalist was hired at Miracle beach and campfire programs were held there and at Wickanninish Beach Park which later became part of Pacific Rim National Park. In 1963, Yorke Edwards wrote a new manual titled "Interpretation In Our Parks" and in 1965 the Park Act was legislated. By 1967, the first flush toilets were put into existing pan abodes in Alice Lake, Emory Creek and Yard Creek Parks. Eighty-two new areas were protected across the province including marine parks, nature parks, caves, climbing areas, roadside parks and destination campgrounds. Top record singles included Hey Jude and I Want To Hold Your Hand by the Beatles, I'm A Believer by the Monkeys, I Heard It Through The Grapevine by Marvin Gaye and Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding. Birth control pills became common. The Columbia River Power Treaty was signed by Canada and the US. The Twist was the Number One dance. The first trans-Pacific telephone cable linked Australia with Port Alberni, BC, and later on a tidal wave from an Alaskan earthquake damaged a number of coastal BC communities including Port Alberni. CBC television began broadcasting in color in 1966 and O Canada became our official national anthem in 1967. In 1968 Canada's Female Athlete of the Century Nancy Greene won an Olympic gold medal and her second World Cup title for downhill skiing. Pierre Trudeau became Prime Minister. By 1969, bell bottom jeans were all the rage, breathalyzers became the standard test for drunk driving, and we stopped using DDT in Canada and hopefully in our parks. 1970–80: Boomer Times The 70s was a great decade for music – how could it not be with artists like the Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, Simon and Garfunkel, Carole King and Roberta Flack – and a boom time for parks. There was a strong planning division set up in Victoria with Bob Ahrens, Gordon Mcnab and Jake Masselink hiring Jim Anderson, Roger Norrish and Mike Hanry. By the mid 1970s, the seasonal work force in parks exceeded 1,500 staff. Hot showers and children's playgrounds were first provided in Rathtrevor Beach Park. In 1971, the first Ecological Reserve, Cleland Island, was established. In 1973, the first female Youth Crew was hard at work in Kokanee Glacier Park. By 1977 there were 50 naturalists providing nature programs in almost 30 parks, along with 25 backcountry rangers. A total of 168 new parks and ecological reserves were created beginning with every letter of the alphabet except Q,Y and Z, and if we had more time I'd test you on their names. 1980–90: When Regions Were King Physical by Olivia Newton John was the top single of the decade followed closely by Kim Carnes' Bette Davis Eyes, Diana Ross and Lionel Ritchie singing Endless Love and Michael Jackson singing Billie Jean. On the parks front several new trends emerged – the first hiring of Resource Management Staff in regions, the privatization of front country and interpretation services which reduced park FTEs from 411 to 288, the creation of Valhalla Park which began a new trend of provincial parks being established largely due to pressure from outside sources, in this case through lobbying by the Kootenay Mountaineering Club. One hundred more parks were set aside and by 1990, visitation to parks was over 21 million. 1990–2000: The Era of Conservation Parks Many of you were singing and dancing to Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, Madonna and Meatloaf in the 1990s. If you are a country fan, you were likely stepping to Garth Brook's Friends in Low Places or Shania Twain's You're Still the One. This was a time of substantial growth for the park system as a result of Parks Plan 90 and land use plans – 225 Parks, Wildlife Management Areas, and Ecological Reserves added – many of them set aside for their ecosystem values. It was also a time when BC Parks was recognized as one of the leading park systems in the world and many of you were there to help make it that way. 2000–10: The New Millennium By now many of you are saying "thank goodness" we're finally at the last decade in our history! What kind of decade has it been? In terms of the growth of our system there has never been a decade to match it and we're not done yet! 326 Parks, Conservancies, Protected Areas, Ecological Reserves, and Wildlife Management Areas have been created in the last eight years. As of July 31, 2008 we had 620 Parks, seven Recreation Areas, 129 Conservancies, 147 Ecological Reserves and 70 Environment and Land Use Act Designations in place. Collectively, we now manage 972 areas totalling 13,012,065.1 hectares of British Columbia's most important and spectacular areas, which in turn means you manage some of the most important areas in the world. Not all of this decade has been easy. As you well know, we hit a low in 2002 from an organizational, funding and FTE perspective, but we have remained strong because of how much we care and how much park users care about us, and we are rebuilding ourselves to once again be world leaders in the business of managing parks. Given the value of what we are entrusted to manage, we can do no less. Conclusion As I was putting together this brief history, I was struck by three things:
And so tonight I want to leave you with three challenges:
So the next time you work on or in a park or protected area in any way stop for a moment and remind yourself that you are special because you care and because you are an important part of the history of BC Parks. Thank You. |
All content © CPAWS-BC Last updated: March 3, 2009 info@elderscouncilforparks.org |
Contact: Elders Council for Park in British Columbia, Suite 410, 698 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC V6B 3K6 Tel: 604-685-7445 |