Parks

    I believe it is possible for parks to meet their dual mandate of being accessible to the public and yet still protecting the ecosystem in which the park encompasses. The key here is to not disrupt the areas natural environment. Many parks "showcase" what people think as being the wilderness, meanwhile they rarely step foot off of a man made pathway of cement or gravel and are surrounded by souvenir and other tourist shops. We need to make it so that people get a true understanding and appreciation for the environment. However the most important job of a park should be to preserve the natural environment and its operation. To do this we need to start off by making parks large enough to be effective, and allocate areas of the park to being off access for people. This also means no roadways going through the park as they cause destruction of wildlife. If people want to explore the park they must do it in a natural way such as hiking or canoeing.

    In Wapusk national park i believe it could also meet its mandate for public access in a similar fashion. Have one area near the edge of the park where the general public could have access to. This area could include an observatory which looks over the park and have an exhibit with some of the local plants and wildlife. Some information about the different species would also help peoples understanding and appreciation. Also i believe a guided tour of some of the grounds would be beneficial. However the tour should be available to only those who are willing to step off a man made path and do some exploring and appreciate nature in its natural environment.