Get your cycling in while you can.

For a couple of years now I have meticulously documented the increasing length of available cycling parkway but this year things happened so fast, and I’ve been so involved in other things, that I missed the entire sequence. This post is a chance to catch up on a few other things I missed as well as note those “other things.”

First to those news items:

• Michael McGoldrick tells us that Gatineau Park season ski pass sales might have dropped 10% last winter.
• A corespondent wondered if this story (flowers that need some passing feet to thrive) was at odds with the NCC’s moves to restrict unofficial hiking trails.
• Activities at Philippe Lake Campground for Summer 2012 have been posted.
• Another corespondent reports that the NCC has gone through an environmental assessment process to move a dock at the PM’s place on Lac Mousseau.

Followers of this blog will know that I’ve taken an active interest in local climate change issues. Seems to me these relate to both the rapidity with which the cycling season came on, and perhaps the drop in ski pass sales. That active interest has become very active and is drawing me away from posting here about Gatineau Park.

So apologies for the long spaces between posts.

But I’d also welcome material from others to help keep the news flowing so if you’ve got something you’d like to post here please submit it with as little editing as possible in mind (remembering my terms of use which require polite, constructive engagement).

End of Cross-Country Ski Season in Gatineau Park

Canada’s Capital Region — The 2011-12 cross-country ski season on the trails at Gatineau Park officially ends today, Friday, March 23.

This year, over 5500 cross-country skiers bought season passes for the season that opened on December 27, 2011. The National Capital Commission (NCC) looks forward to welcoming back all skiers on the trails next season.

At 88 days, this season was a little shorter than the average of the last few years. However, there was no closure or interruption during that period. Moreover, between December 27, 2011 and March 20, 2012 except for three days, the entire network of trails enjoyed the “recommended” rating.

The NCC wishes to thank everyone who contributed to this success including the Service récréatifs Demsis team, the volunteer patrol team and the participants to the Park Dialogue Winter Trails Workshop. Thanks also go out to everyone who organized special events in Gatineau Park during the winter season, including the Gatineau Loppet.

Maintenance work and spring cleaning operations on the parkway network in Gatineau Park will proceed over the coming weeks. The parkways are scheduled to open to motor vehicle traffic Friday, May 4 at noon.

The house is small but architecturally interesting and evidently hosted some historical luminaries. A study recommending what should be done is due out in the next few weeks.

I’m not in any position to weigh the arguments this way or that, but I do know that JR Booth’s house at Kingsmere is gone gone gone; now a patch of trees. The NCC did try mightily to find a use for it but in the end knocked it down. I don’t know that we are any better for it being gone and as a piece of history we are poorer. I’m sure the NCC don’t want to obliterate swaths of history, they just don’t have the resources (or don’t allocate the resources) to pay for maintaining history on our behalf. Would people would squawk if money was diverted from trail grooming or Canada Day? I guess people squawk whatever decisions are made; so squawk for the things that matter to you.

As for me, squawk, squawk!

The NCC though is putting a brave face on things and promoting spring skiing until there is no snow or until April 15th, whichever comes first.

Participants are asked to raise at least $100 through sponsorship for the event, and all of the money raised will go towards CPAWS’ efforts to protect forests and wildlife in Canada.

The snowshoeing/hike is about 6km and will take place around 6:30-10:30 on the evening of March 24th. If there is not very much snow or if the snow is packed for the event, snowshoes wont be required so it will just be a hike.

We will be stopping at a camp fire in the forest for hot chocolate and a desert, which will be provided by CPAWS.

This is a great opportunity to get out into the beautiful forest at night to see it from a different prospective, and is a good opportunity to learn about what CPAWS does in the community/Canada to protect parks and wilderness.