- Opinion " B.C. parks nothing to be ashamed of VICTORIA — Listening exclu- sively and for too long to environ- mental groups and ecological watchdogs tends to distort one’s sense of reality. That’s not to take away any credit from environmentalists. Without their relentless dedication to the cause, the public would not be as aware of the need to solve our ecological problems. . @n the other hand, not every problem has crisis proportions, but that’s exactly the impression many environmentalists are trying to create. The battle over the Carmanah Valley is just one example. Listen- ing to the environmentalists, one must conclude that logging the northern half of the valley, no matter how selectively and care- fully, will ruin the entire water- shed, which I refuse to believe. The constant battle between governments and environmental- ists, fought largely in the media, tends to create a sense of urgency and impending disaster Doom is perceived to be everywhere and imminent. I believe it is important to occa- sionally count one’s blessings. And it isn’t as if thete weren’t any to count. I’m not saying we should close our eyes to problems, but why, not at least admit that there are a few things that don’t need fixing. And why not enjoy these things without reservations and qualifications. Continued from Page A14 _ Wednesday May 9 6 p.m. PROJECT DIS- COVERY - Music. Discover Western Canada’s hottest new music talent! Tonight, "Titanio Reaction” and "Blackboard Jungle”. 6:30 p.m. SPECIAL REPORT - The United Way. Clive Tanner, Allocations Chairman for the Vic- toria United Way Agencies Ltd. talks with host Barbara Fraser on how and where our United Way funds are used. 7 pm. SHORELINE MAGAZINE - Current Affairs. The Peninsula’s current affairs pro- gram. Feature: 7:30 p.m. SPECIAL PRESEN- - TATION -"Mud Mania" Coverage of the Muscular Distrophy Garden Tractor Pull and Mud Bog Com- petition at Sandown Racetrack. Sponsored by the North Saanich Volunteer Fire Department. ; Thursday May 10 6 p.m. KEEP FIT FOR BABY - No-Impact Aerobics. A light workout designed specially for ex- pecting mothers- great for begin- ners and seniors too! 6:30 p.m. DOWN TO BUSI- NESS - Knowledge-Based Busi- ness. Coverage of the "Business Opportunities At Your Doorstep" conference held last November in Sidney. Tonight, a summary on identifying business opportunities. 7:30 p.m. SPORTS DESK - News. A weekly wrap-up of minor league sports in the Victoria area. 8 p.m. THE HELEN SIMS SHOW - Cooking. Join Helen as she blends good cooking and good humour into 30 minutes of tasty fun! Tonight- Helen gets herself into a jam with Sue Obee! 8:30 p.m. THE PEPPER PATCH - Talk. Lynne Bowen talks about the history of coal mining on Vancouver Island. Host: Jo Pepper. music talent! Tonight, “Bobby Joe Loverod and the Romance Rangers”, and "The Beachnicks”. Tuesday May 8 6 p.m. PEOPLE IN PERSPEC- TIVE - Business & Politics. Guest: Denis Denischuk, Investment Ad- visor for RBC Dominion Securities Pemberton. Host: John Fortune. 6:30 p.m. MP REPORT - With Lynn Hunter. A pre-taped inter- view with our local MP, Lynn Hunter and host Barbara Fraser. 7 p.m. ISLAND MAGAZINE - Island Living. Focus on Island living- this month, a look at the youth in our island communities. 7:30 p.m. IN COUNCIL: - Civic Issues. Gavel-to-gavel cov- erage of the April 23rd Sidney Council meeting. HOUSE OF RUSSELL Newcomers to British Colum- bia, whose impressions of our parks system are of necessity based on the information they get from the media, would think that whatever we have in the way of parks is too little too late, an assumption that is outright laugha- ble. Bnitish Columbia has an excel- lent parks system. You can hike through remote wildemess parks and experience a solitude to be found in few places on earth. You can canoe through lake country that will be protected for eternity from intrusion by development. You can climb mountains and dive for shipwrecks, picnic and pitch a tent, capture bears and mountain sheep with your camera in British Columbia’s parks. - British Columbia has. 379 parks, covering a total of 5.4 million hectares. That’s more than five per cent of the whole province. Again, I’m not knocking envir- onmentalists for saying we should have more parks — the NDP says we should set aside 10 per cent of the province’s total area — but I think it’s wrong to never appreci- ate what you already have. Nothing tells the importance of the parks system as well as the number of people using it. In 1988, the last year for which figures are available, British Columbia’s parks system regis- tered more than 19.6 million visi- tor days, the highest level ever recorded. More than 2.2 million campers made use of the 11,000 campsites in British Columbia’s provincial parks; revenue from campers put about $3.7 million into provincial coffers. To find out what the public thinks of the parks system, the parks ministry did surveys in 79 different areas. Marine parks got the highest score with an overall rating of excellent and above at 96 per cent. The overall rating of excellent and above excellent for camp- Our Reputation is on Your Head HAIRSTYLISTS LTD. UNISEX 656-1522 exe © Precision Cutting IN SIDNEY CENTRE #102-2367 Bevan Ave., Sidney, B.C. (Next to Safeway) The One Company That Helps You With The Whole Nine Yards The full line of Homelite and Homelite-Jacobsen Outdoor Power Equipment is On Sale Now at: Everything for the Contractor or Homeowner 6777 Kirkpatrick Crescent, Keating Industrial Park CALL TODAY 652-3908 TheReview Wednesday, May 2,1990 — A15 ground users was 81 per cent, while day-use areas scored 86 per cent. My own score of the provincial parks system, based on considera- ble personal experience, would certainly be in the mid to high 90s. Unlike some of our strident envir- onmentalists, I prefer to stop once in a while and smell the roses. *LOTTO CENTRE *FREE DELIVERY 10% OFF TUESDAYS PHOTO FINISHING PHOTO COPYING HOME HEALTHCARE PRODUCTS BRENTWOOD 7181 West OPEN: Saanich MON.-SAT Road = 9:00am-6:00pm Brentwood PHARMACY 652-1821 WATER! ¢ CONDITIONING ¢ IRON REMOVAL » CHLORINATION » PURIFICATION » FREE WATER ANALYSIS hd ATERTECH 2300 Beacon Avenue Sidney, BC. 656-5199 4” Pot Fiberous 89 Begonias = - Pelargomium 6°