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 PHOTO: HAP WILSON Location: Cabin Falls Date: May 18-21, 2007 Info or RSVP: Hap Wilson 705-732-8254
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Spring rendezvous in wilderness park Author and adventurer Hap Wilson will be hosting a spring rendezvous at his wilderness retreat at Cabin Falls in Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Park. Hap has made an open invitation "to all those intrepid paddlers who have, in no small way, supported and fought vigilantly for the protection of this great wilderness over the years." The Victoria Day weekend event will mark the 30th anniversary of the publication of Hap's canoeing bible Canoeing, Kayaking & Hiking Temagami (originally released as Temagami Canoe Routes).
There will be guided hikes in the old-growth pine, whitewater play in the rapids, and guest speakers. Attendees must make their own way by canoe, or air and canoe, and bring their own food and tents. Children are welcome. There is no cost. "The only requirement," says Hap, "is that every person must share a campfire story with the group."
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FEBRUARY 19, 2007 Camps have solution to growing government burden
Today, park wardens patrol the backcountry parks, but not long ago many of their duties were exercised by fire wardens from the local youth camps. Guides at the camps were seasonally "deputized" by MNR's predecessor, the Department of Lands and Forests, as fire wardens, and issued credentials that consisted of a badge and a certificate of authority. They had the power to issue travel permits (which were free), stop travellers to check their permits, prohibit dangerous fire practices, and even the power to draft people to fight fires. As they had other duties with the camps, they reported major infractions to the department and left it up to the game wardens to lay fines.
But the bulk of their duty was devoted to
The fire-warden system functioned from at least the 1930s until the end of the 1960s. The camps accepted the responsibility as a public service.
Today, new park fees are used to fund many of
the park warden's activities that the camps undertook, and the cost is threatening local youth-camp viability. Along
"We philosophically oppose relying solely on the government to maintain these [remote] 'facilities,'” Neil Macdonald of Camp Temagami wrote to the MNR. "We believe that this approach would ultimately lead to fees-for-services, and create both expectations of government help and a culture of dependency that are at odds with the nature of self-propelled wilderness travel." "On a practical basis, given the size of the area and the scope of the project, the MNR on its own cannot hope to provide anything approaching the kind of service it wants with the resources under discussion," without a partnership with the youth camps.
FEBRUARY 9, 2007 Parks-and-rec plan called status quo The lead watchdog over the Ministry of Natural Resources' parks-and-rec planning process (TIP) called the latest draft "pretty much an enhanced status quo."
Nastawgan Network submitted its response to the plan and called for MNR to follow its own rules and the law. "Lots of our concerns are long-standing issues."
Parks and rec plan moving slowly Group calls for protection of traditional land uses Canoe industry has vision for Temagami Parks and recreation meetings set
FEBRUARY 6, 2007
Canoeist's tip nabs gate crasher
A tip from a passing canoeist resulted in the conviction of
an angler for driving behind the locked gate on the Liskeard Lumber Road in
Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Wilderness Park.
Armstrong plead guilty to driving his truck
around the gate near the North Lady Evelyn River, crossing the first bridge,
and putting a boat into the river at the second bridge on August 25, 2005.
He accepted responsibility on behalf of his three companions. Motor vehicles
are prohibited beyond the gate between June 15 and September 15.
A canoeist on the river saw the vehicle at the
bridge, six kilometres past the gate, got the license and vehicle
description, and reported it to conservation officers who tracked down the
offender.
Armstrong told the court he wanted to avoid the
work of legally accessing the river in a less convenient area.
After all the money and distress the illegal
access cost him, he admitted to the court he had no fish to show for it.
FEBRUARY 6, 2007
The December conviction of an angler illegally accessing the
wilderness park in a truck was the second crime in the park to be reported
by a canoeist. The first was the Maple Mountain spray-painting in August.
Conservation officers and park wardens are actively seeking
more help from canoeists and backcountry travellers (in parks, conservation
reserves and on Crown land), and information gathering is critical to a
successful conviction, and to better enforcement. And anonymity can be
requested.
Checklist of Information
1. Date and time
2. Location on a map, or GPS coordinates
3. Vehicle and/or vessel description, including
license, model, colour,
and anything
distinguishing, such as racks
4. Description and number of the people seen
5. Direction of travel
6. Description of crime, including some
quantification, such as number
of
bottles tossed into lake.
Report 24/7
1-877 TIPS-MNR (847-7677) Operators will
respect a request for anonymity. |
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Maps and information herein are not intended for navigational use, and are not represented to be correct in every respect. All pages intended for reference use only, and all pages are subject to change with new information and without notice. The author/publisher accepts no responsibility or liability for use of the information on these pages. Wilderness travel and canoeing possess inherent risk. It is the sole responsibility of the paddler and outdoor traveler to determine whether he/she is qualified for these activities. Copyright © 2000-2014 Brian Back. All rights reserved. We do not endorse and are not responsible for the content of any linked document on an external site.
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