From OpenFile Ottawa:
by: Sarah Davidson
Just like rock climbers earlier this year, off-trail hikers are now facing serious restrictions in Gatineau Park. Continue reading
From Camp Fortune press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday November 25 2010
SKI SEASON HAS FINALLY ARRIVED: CAMP FORTUNE WILL OPEN THIS WEEKEND
Camp Fortune will open for the season on Saturday November 27th 2010.
This opening is 2 weeks earlier than last year.
We will be the first ski centre in the area to open.
Ski conditions are fantastic with great skiing on machine groomed snow. We will open with a 2.5 ft base. Camp Fortune is located only 15 minutes from downtown Ottawa in the Gatineau Park.
One of the signatories of the petition to bring back the old trail names told me that when he encouraged his friends to sign, some of them refused, saying to do so was culturally inappropriate. I sincerely hope that this is unfounded.
The sensitivity appears to stem from Continue reading
Yesterday I noted that there existed in some people’s back closets tee-shirts made some years ago that commemorate the old Gatineau Park ski trail names. Today I have an update.
Wally Schaber tells me:
The late Gary Watts,founder of the Ottawa Outing Club combined with Trailhead to co sponsor this T shirt and a matching poster. It sold out at the first Ottawa showing of the Best of Banff Film Festival ,35 years ago as a fund raiser for the Ski Museum.
In 1991 the ski museum moved from Sussex avenue to The Trailhead building. We`d like to celebrate the 20th anniversary of that move, by creating a new version of this shirt as a fund raising vehicle for the museum.
We’re talking about designs now.
Here’s yesterday’s coverage from Le Droit.
Here’s what the presentation package available at the public Board Meeting said with respect to the development of plans subordinate to the Gatineau Park Master Plan:
Different plans resulting from the Gatineau Park Master Plan are being developed on schedule: the Outdoor Activity Plan and the Sustainable Transportation Plan will be submitted for public consultation during the next quarter.
I have to take issue with that “on schedule” statement. The first round of Recreational Management Plan consultations took place in September of 2009 at which time a second round was planned for the spring of 2010.
The delay may be understandable in that there isn’t clear consensus on what the Plan should consist of or where it’s going. This was apparent in the June 2010 a report on the previous fall’s consultations and may well need reconsideration if Bill C-20 becomes law, since it enshrines for the first time the requirement that Gatineau Park be managed to include “allowing for the pursuit of recreational activities.”
The following was included in the NCC’s report to its Board of Directors at today’s meeting under the heading of Public Programs:
Equestrian Association
An agreement was signed with a new equestrian association in Gatineau Park for a 10-km horseback riding trail. This path is now open in the Park in the Luskville sector.
This led me to take a look at the NCC website where I now see:
Horseback riding returns to Gatineau Park!
The NCC is pleased to announce the reopening of a 10-kilometre horseback riding trail in the Luskville sector of Gatineau Park (Pilon Road to Steele Road). Collaboration with the Pontiac Equestrian Association and the work of its members led to the reopening of this trail on September 12. The trail will remain open until October 31, 2010.
The association is responsible for trail maintenance and for managing memberships. For more information, please visit the association’s website (www.pontiacequestre.com).
Today as reported to the Board of Directors under the heading Ecosystem Conservation Plan – Restoring Ecosystems, the NCC wrote:
A plan for identifying the steps for restoring climbing sites and unofficial hiking paths on the Eardley Escarpment is being drawn up along with the community of climbers and hikers.
Certainly it is the plan of the NCC to include users in this discussion, but as far as I know the earlier canceled meeting on the topic has not yet been rescheduled.
Under the heading Ecosystem Conservation Plan, the following information was presented at the public Board Meeting of the NCC today:
Gatineau Park managers have met several times with groups of climbers to discuss the management of rock climbing. Following these consultations, five walls will be kept for climbing with 64 different paths of varying levels of difficulty, versus the initial offering of three walls and 42 paths. A formal agreement is currently being drafted, which will provide the NCC with insurance coverage, including civil liability insurance, for this activity. We have been consulting with the groups to implement steps for restoring the climbing sites while protecting the exceptional ecosystem within which the climbing will take place. Site monitoring has shown us that the users are following the new rules and are respecting prohibited areas.
The NCC Board of Director meeting notes of today include the following under the heading Restoring Ecosystems
Determining the steps for restoring the banks of three lakes (Meech, Philippe and La Pêche) is also ongoing. As for Meech Lake, the Regional County Municipalities (RCM) and the Municipality of Chelsea are also working together, and meetings will be held with residents.
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