|
ALGONQUIN PROVINCIAL PARK
Algonquin Provincial Park is a provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in central Ontario, Canada. It is the oldest park in Ontario, covering about 7,725 square kilometres. Its size, combined with its relative proximity to the major urban centres of Toronto and Ottawa make it one of the most popular parks in the province. Highway 60 runs through the south of the park, while the Trans-Canada Highway bypasses it to the north. Over 2400 lakes and 1200 kilometres of streams and rivers are located within the park, including Canoe Lake and the Petawawa and Nipissing rivers. These were formed by the retreat of the glaciers during the last ice age. The park is in an area where there is a transition between northern coniferous forest and southern deciduous forest. Because of this unique mixture of forest types, the park contains thousands of species of plants and animals, including moose, beaver, black bear, lake trout, maple, and spruce, and is an important site for wildlife research. The park also provides protected habitat for the Eastern Red Wolf.
Creation of Algonquin Park
In the 19th century, the logging industry harvested the large white pine and red pine trees, to produce lumber for domestic and American markets, as well as square timber for export to Great Britain. Homesteaders and farmers settled the area.
By the early 1890's a bill of the Commissioner of Crown Lands to establish a forest reservation and national park, was under consideration by the Ontario Government. The act to establish Algonquin Park was drawn up in 1892 by a five member Royal Commission, appointed to enquire into and report on the matter. Their report recommended that the park should be established in the territory lying near and enclosing the headwaters of five major rivers, those being: the Muskoka; Madawaska (including Opeongo); Amable du Fond; Petawawa and South Rivers.
The commissioners remarked in their report: "the experience of older countries had everywhere shown that the wholesale and indiscrimate slaughter of forests brings a host of evils in its train. Wide tracts are converted from fertile plains into arid deserts, springs and streams are dried up, and the rainfall, instead of percolating gently throught the forest floor and finding its way by easy stages by brook and river to the lower levels, now descends the valley in hurrying torrents, carrying before it tempestuous floods."
Although much of the area within Algonquin had been under licence for some time, it was intended to make the Park an object lesson in forestry, the land being yet well timbered with pine and hardwoods. Under the act, only licences to cut pine would be issued for limits within the park. Although the commissioners had recommended that when the hardwood was mature, it too should be cut.
An Act to establish the Algonquin National Park of Ontario, was passed by the Ontario Legislature, May 27, 1893. The boundaries of the Park included 18 townships within the District of Nipissing, covering an area of 1,466 square miles of which 10% was under water. The tract of land was to be set apart, as a public park, health resort and pleasure ground for the benefit, advantage and enjoyment of all the people of the province.
The park has always been under the jurisdiction of the provincial government, though "National" was part of its original title only to recognize its significance. A staff of rangers was placed in it, the game protected, and the forest fires kept out. By 1910 Algonquin was alive with game of all kinds, deer and beaver being numerous. Thousands of people had visited the great pleasure resort and it was said to be undeniably one of the most beautiful natural parks in the Dominion, if not on this continent." All this had entailed a large expenditure by the government, which was recovered chiefly through the maintenance of timber licences. There was no fee for camping permits, though a nominal charge was introduced for fishing and guides' licences when "An Act to establish the Algonquin National Park of Ontario" was again passed by the legislature, March 19, 1910. This new legislation included the original area as well as portions of ten townships annexed into the park since 1893, and allowed for further expansion by the addition of adjacent townships, should it become necessary.
History
In time, the area's beauty became recognized by nature preservationists. It quickly became popular with fishermen and hunters, as well as artists such as Tom Thomson and the members of the Group of Seven, who found the landscape inspiring. Thomson served as a guide in the park and did much of his painting at Canoe Lake. He died under mysterious circumstances at Canoe Lake in 1917. Up until 1995, the main line of the Canadian National Railway passed through the northern part of the park.
Today the park is a popular year-round outdoor activity area. There are eleven designated campgrounds along the edges of the park, especially along Highway 60, but it is possible to camp further inside the park in sites accessible only by canoe or on foot. Other activities include fishing, mountain biking, horseback riding, and cross country skiing. Algonquin is also home to a very popular Natural Heritage Education program, the most popular program being the weekly wolf howls on Thursdays in the month of August, and sometimes in the first week of September if there is a Thursday before labour day, weather and wolves permitting. Park staff attempt to locate a pack Wednesday evening and if successful, they announce a public wolf howl the next day. Logging continues to this day in Algonquin Park, but it is strictly managed in order to maintain the park's natural environment and to prevent interference with any other activities taking place.
Interior camping
Although there are numerous drive-in campgrounds in Algonquin, the park is better known for its interior camping, that is, campsites which are only accessible by canoe or hiking in the summer, or ski or snowshoe in the winter. Algonquin Park provides some of Canada's best canoeing, with hundreds of navigable lakes and rivers forming a vast interconnected system. The further a camper progresses from access points, the more wild the park will become, and it is possible to spend several days in the interior with little or no sight of other campers. Park staff maintain portages between all major and even smaller lakes, and interior campsite reservations must be made through the main Ontario Parks reservation system (for North American residents dial 1-888-668-7275). Potential interior campers should note that there are two types of portages in the park; those marked as red lines on the map are well-maintained and usually well-traveled, while those marked in black receive much less maintenance and can be considerably more difficult to follow.
Interior campsites can vary widely, and aside from the historic ranger cabins none have any permanent shelter. Sufficient bad-weather gear (tents, tarps, etc) should be brought so the trip can remain enjoyable in the face of less-than-perfect weather. All campsites have prepared firepits, which should be the only location used for fires. Fires made in non-prepared sites can cause underground roots to burn, allowing the fire to spread. Park rules and suggestions for gear can be found on the reverse of the official Algonquin Park map.
Interior camping can provide excellent wildlife viewing opportunities. The eerie call of the common loon can be heard from every campground and loons can be seen on almost every lake. Moose, deer, and beaver are not uncommon, especially along waterways, given sufficiently quiet campers. Black bears, although present in the Park, are seldom seen, especially if appropriate precautions to avoid attracting them are taken. Wolves may be heard, but will likely remain distant from campers.
Summer camps
Algonquin Park is home to many historic summer camps, including:
Camps are members of the Ontario Camping Association.
Fishing
Fishing is allowed in the Park for holders of valid Ontario fishing licenses, with the purchase of a daily or seasonal vehicle permit as well available through the Ministry of Natural Resources. Fish such as bass, yellow perch, trout and pike can be found in the waterways of the park. The further an angler is willing to travel from an access point, the more likely that the fishing will be outstanding - those willing to make the effort to portage their gear to a more secluded interior lake will often be rewarded.[1]
Rivers
The park contains and protects the headwaters of these rivers:
See also
External links
|