Kawarthas
Provincial Park?
By: Dave Broadhurst
One of the positive results of the Lands for Life process was
the proposal to protect the Kawartha Highlands.
The area is located in the Kawarthas about 40 km northeast
of Peterborough. More specifically the Highlands are a 25
X 15 km area located north of Burleigh Falls and West f
Apsley. A detailed map may be viewed at this
link
A local stakeholder committee has been formed to determine
the final park boundaries, whether it will be a provincial
park or conservation reserve, and what management policies
should be put in place.
The Kawartha Highlands are made of mixed forests on rugged
bedrock, interspersed with many small lakes and wetlands.
There is a small old-growth forest straddling the eastern park
boundary, 4 km northwest of Apsley. See the red area on
the linked
map.
Traditional land uses include canoeing, angling, hunting, hiking
and snowmobiling.
Visit this
link
What
is At Stake?
This is an
opportunity to make your views known about the future of the
Kawartha Highlands. It is now the largest protected area south
of Algonquin Park. The key question is whether it will be a
managed (provincial park) or unmanaged (Conservation
Reserve) area. In my opinion, the natural environment and
recreational values will be better protected if it is designated
a provincial park.
As a Provincial Park it would be managed by Ontario Parks and
would have a public management plan. Conservation Reserves are
managed in a more hands-off manner similar to the other areas of
crown land.
The first round of public meetings came and went in October and
November with very little advertising. I attended the Toronto
session (Port Union and Lawrence!) which was only attended by 25
people. Unless we spread the word, most people will never be
aware that they have the opportunity to provide input to the
process.
Getting
Involved
1. At the very least get on mailing list so you can track
progress and comment as needed.
Send an e-mail
to Ontario's Living Legacy
or write to:
- Kawartha Highlands
Project Office
c/o Ministry of Natural Resources
PO Box 500 Bancroft ON
K0L 1C0
2. Pass this information on
to others who you think might be interested
3. Send comments about the type of park or reserve you would
like to see
Have
Your Say
There are four key questions the Stakeholder committee must
address. They have requested input on these by the end of
February 2001.
* What is the most appropriate designation - provincial park or
conservation reserve ?
* Suggest any minor revisions to park boundaries (For example, I
would like to slightly extend eastern boundary NW of Apsley to
capture the entire old-growth forest )
* Suggest management policies for the protected area (I will
suggest some restrictions of activities that damage the
environment such as ATV/snowmobiling)
* Ideas for the development and implementation of co-stewardship
management (I am not sure what this means)
Plus the stakeholder committee has asked the following:
* What do you value about the Kawartha Highlands?
* What are you concerns/issues?
* What would be your vision for the future of the area?
Park
Versus Conservation Reserve
This seems to be the key question on the table. The definitions
of management policies for new provincial parks and conservation
reserves may
be found at this
link
It is disturbing to note that mining
exploration is allowed in both types or areas and that the
potential mine site would be removed from the park/reserve if
significant mineral reserves were located. I am not an expert on
land-use regulations, but from the document referenced above,
the key distinctions between provincial parks and nature reserve
seem to be:
* Provincial Parks are regulated under the Provincial Parks Act
which includes regular park management plans. They are managed
by Ontario Parks.
*Conservation Reserves are managed by OMNR under the Public
Lands Act which generally involves less land-use management
* No new commercial fishing or trapping are permitted in
provincial parks. Expansion of these activities is permitted in
conservation reserves if the activities are compatible with the
values of the reserve
* Some restrictions are placed on sport hunting in certain
provincial parks - no restrictions apply in conservation
reserves
* In provincial parks tourist activities and trail systems are
subject to management planning. In conservation reserves trails
and tourist activities and may continue and even expand as long
as there are no "significant demonstrated conflicts"
* New leases and land-use permits may be granted in conservation
reserves. No new land-use permits will be granted in Provincial
Parks.
Dave Broadhurst
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