Early next month, people will come together to celebrate a half century of breathtaking nature that's been preserved in the heart of the North Okanagan.
A 50th anniversary celebration will be held for Coldstream's Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park Saturday, July 5. It's a chance to admire and appreciate the park's natural beauty as folks gather for the milestone in the grassy day-use area between Jade and Juniper bays, with the event promoting stewardship of Kal Park and other wilderness areas.
The history of Kal Park is a story of a community coming together to safeguard a natural gem.
The park sees thousands of visitors each year who come for its beauty, its beaches, the birds, the hiking and biking trails and the sublime views.
But 50 years ago, Kal Park was poised to become a private golf course and housing subdivision.
Greig Crockett, with Friends of Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park, says Marathon Realty (a development subsidiary of CP Rail) had proposed the development over a large area of Coldstream Ranch. The development would have excluded the public from the beaches, horseback riding and trails they'd become accustomed to enjoying thanks to the Ranch's generosity.
But the public fought back. Members of the North Okanagan Naturalist Club, the Fish and Game Club, the Vernon Riding Association and others petitioned the NDP government to purchase the land for public use and to preserve natural habitats.
The province listened. It commissioned a study that recommended the park be formed in light of its unique landscape, significant wildlife habitat and "extensive recreational potential," and in 1975 it purchased 978 hectares of land from Coldstream Ranch to create the provincial park.
Today, thousands of visitors bring boats and boards to the beaches. They climb rocks, pedal bikes, walk dogs and carry binoculars, all within Kal Park.
The park's popularity has brought its own problems. Crockett says some people disturb wildlife, trampling delicate plants and spreading invasive weed seeds.
The Friends of Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park and BC Parks, with the support of many volunteers, the North Okanagan Conservation Fund and FortisBC, have spent over $30,000 in the past two years to combat the invasive weeds in the park in an effort to help native species thrive.
Located on the traditional and unceded syilx territory, the Kal Park lands have been used by generations of syilx people for harvesting and preparing food, particularly in the fall during Kokanee spawning season.
All are invited to Kal Park's 50th anniversary July 5 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Juniper Beach picnic area. Access is from the main parking entrance. There will be anniversary cake to go around, exhibit tables, a mascot, giveaways, guided nature walks and a 1930 bi-plane fly-by at 10:45 a.m. Formal festivities will begin at 10 a.m. and the rest of the event is made up of optional activities.
There will be a few speeches, including one from Vernon-Lumby MLA Harwinder Sandhu.
