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| I visited Algonquin Park as a child! Don't you love the glasses?! |
I've visited 20 parks, that I can recall. Algonquin Park was my first!
There is a difference between Federal and Provincial Parks, but we are blessed with a fair number of natural places to visit. Both have Learn To Camp programs and journalists seem to have a hard time differentiating them. No matter. They are parks!
Federal vs. Provincial and Public Ownership
Less than 11% of Canada's land is in private hands ; 41% is federal crown land and 48% is provincial crown land. The YUKON, the NORTHWEST TERRITORIES and NUNAVUT are administered on behalf of Canada by ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS AND NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT through the Territorial Lands Act and Public Lands Grants Act .
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The wonderful volunteers picking up garbage
at the side of the road in Algonquin Park were very busy.
Wish we'd had time to help!
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Who Owns Park Land?
The provinces sold crown land to homesteaders, farmers, business owners and granted land to demobilised soldiers (200 acres for enlisted settlers and 600 acres for officers); regulated the use of resources: forestry, mining, furs; manage recreational land use such as fishing, hunting, camping. (Read more at: Ghosts of the Day 1, Ghosts from the Day - Part 2, | Ontario Visual Heritage Project. Much harm was done in places like Georgian Bay, where for-profit clear-cutting logging conflicted with the fishing industry. Silt destroyed spawning grounds in Georgian Bay, ruining a way of life for all. Some park lands were expropriated from landowners in the early development of parks, such as the local Lally Family in MPP.
The provinces sold crown land to homesteaders, farmers, business owners and granted land to demobilised soldiers (200 acres for enlisted settlers and 600 acres for officers); regulated the use of resources: forestry, mining, furs; manage recreational land use such as fishing, hunting, camping. (Read more at: Ghosts of the Day 1, Ghosts from the Day - Part 2, | Ontario Visual Heritage Project. Much harm was done in places like Georgian Bay, where for-profit clear-cutting logging conflicted with the fishing industry. Silt destroyed spawning grounds in Georgian Bay, ruining a way of life for all. Some park lands were expropriated from landowners in the early development of parks, such as the local Lally Family in MPP.
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| Sharbot Lake in her fall colours |
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| Bon Echo visitor crosses the road |
Many non-profit groups apply for government grants to support volunteer work, hire employees. This is why there is a Board of Directors, to ensure that, as Transfer Payment Agency, money is spent wisely and according to Canada Revenue laws, good governance protocols and fiduciary responsibility .
The beauty of this, is that hard-working volunteer fundraisers are not hampered by Ontario Parks, Federal Parks cutbacks, or Capital Expenditures funds. Grants are numerous:
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| Sandbanks Provincial Park photos |
By the way, if you are interested in reading about park life from the view point of a park ranger, make sure you read Nevada Barr's books. She is a mystery writer, also an experienced USA Park Ranger, and sets each book in a different US park. Make sure you read them in chronological order, as she develops her heroine/main character (Anna Pigeon) over the series!
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| Pancake Bay |
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| Murphys Point Park |
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| Silver Lake |
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| Lake Superior Park |
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| Prince Edward County Lake on the Mountain, Sandbanks Park |
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| Yes, I drove the Gargantua Bay road |
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| Sparrow Lake - Federal |
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| Mamainse Harbour -Federal |
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| Blind River -Federal |
5 comments:
Great park there! Love the 'learn to camp programs..hope lots of kids are taking advantage of it.
I used to love Nevada Barr but her latest books have become a little more violent than I'd like them to be. She is a National Park Ranger. (Nevada really was and so is her 'alter ego' Anna Pigeon.)
Each park has it's own unique character . We are fortunate to have them. In Alberta the govt. keeps tinkering with legislation and we have to be on guard to protect parks. They want to shift things back and forth and that can sneakily take some lands off protected status .
We are so lucky to have so many parks and accessible Crown Lands to enjoy. We have several groups improving trails and overnight cabins in our back country. They donate many hours of work, materials, and work with regional and provincial agencies to get approvals. - Margy
I love going to parks but we don't have much around here in the metropolis. Enjoy your weekend Ms Jenn :)
My partner and I LOVE our provincial parks. We were devastated to hear that many of the more northern Ontario provincial parks will no longer have campgrounds and some will be closed entirely. Our favorite place on this green earth has always been Fushimi Park north of Hearst. It is on the hitlist,along wit Obatanga, another northern beauty.
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