The BlackBerry, like running water and electricity, has become a modern convenience that many people can't live without, even those seeking out wilderness experiences. Canada's national and provincial parks need to find a way to strike a balance between preserving the unspoiled natural beauty of the parks and judiciously accommodating those hooked on their gadgets.
Ontario parks are considering the addition of wireless Internet access to areas of some parks, with the first experiment taking place at Pinery Provincial Park, near Lake Huron; Nova Scotia is also running a trial. In 2005, California partnered with AT&T to provide wireless hotspots in all of its state parks.
It is a reality that some park visitors want to stay connected while ostensibly communing with nature. Inviting the digital world, with all of its distractions, into national and provincial parks and wilderness settings is an inherent contradiction.
Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming has produced a thoughtful plan that could serve as a model for Canadian wardens and policy-makers. It would allow Wi-Fi access in some park buildings and their immediate vicinity, but would limit cellphone service in most of the park. To ensure a minimal wireless footprint and ensure harmony among park visitors, it would restrict the location of towers and antennas, and signpost "cellphone-free" areas in the park.
To the extent that wireless access is to be provided in Canada's parks, it should be limited to high-traffic areas, and it should be operated, where possible, on a cost-recovery basis. While Wi-Fi hotspots are unintrusive, more extensive Internet service and cellphone access require the construction of unsightly and disruptive cellphone towers, and that should not be permitted.
Canadians should not have to be reduced to Luddism once they enter their publicly funded and protected parks. At the same time, they should not become disconnected from the major purpose of their parks, to provide peace and opportunities for natural discovery.