This is important to all Park users as climbers, geocachers, and hikers have already seen. I would particularly draw your attention to the wording under the section Outdoor Activity Plan.
The Gatineau Park development plans are in response to the Gatineau Park Master Plan (completed in 2005) which determined that the park management would focus first on the preservation of ecosystems and then on recreational activities. It recommended the preparation of plans for the conservation of ecosystems, the conservation of cultural heritage, interpretation, sustainable transportation and outdoor activities.
Ecosystem Conservation Plan / Ecological Corridors:
The project for the identification and preservation of Gatineau Park’s ecological corridors stems from a recommendation in the Ecosystem Conservation Plan. This project is aimed at protecting the park’s biodiversity and ensuring greater robustness in natural environments.
It is currently underway in collaboration with various stakeholders, including municipalities. To date, we have identified 12 potential corridors. A preliminary report is expected this summer and will include a list of these corridors, the desired usage type and tourist potential. The final report is expected for winter 2012 and will include long-term preservation options . It is expected that the NCC will not necessarily proceed with the acquisition of these lands, but agreements with the municipalities and partner groups will allow it to implement these preservation options.
Outdoor Activity Plan
[editor's note: in the past this has been called the Recreation Management Plan]
The main objective of the Gatineau Park Outdoor Activity Plan (OAP) is to provide consistent planning and intervention frameworks on the outdoor activities, infrastructures and services that will have to be developed, modified or abandoned in order to optimize the visitor’s experience and to maximize the scope of the Gatineau Park Ecosystem Conservation Plan.
The OAP also aims, through a series of concrete measures, to identify target clients, the desired levels and types of outdoor activity offered in the park, mainly according to the conservation objectives, the role and capacity of the recreation areas, and the underlying management principles.
We are now developing the intervention strategies and the action plan that will be presented during public consultations in the fall.
[editor's note: in the slide presentation shown by Marie Lemay this report was shown with a status of "Final Draft"]
Green Transportation Plan for Gatineau Park
The first step is now completed. It has allowed us to assess the existing situation and to identify transportation issues for Gatineau Park. This analysis was based on, among other things, the information collected during the online public consultation that was completed in winter 2010. In addition, consultations with partners were recently conducted in order to validate the analyses.
The next step will consist in identifying the measures that will help reduce the impacts identified in step 1. The various possible solutions will be developed in collaboration with the partners and will be based on the ideas submitted by the public during the online consultation. Public consultations are also planned in order to discuss the proposed options.
Gatineau Park Cultural Heritage Conservation Strategic Plan
The Gatineau Park Cultural Heritage Conservation Strategic Plan will guide the conservation and interpretation of cultural heritage for the next decade. The first phase of planning presents the vision and guiding principles for the management of cultural heritage in the Park, explores the cultural values associated with Gatineau Park, and determines a thematic framework. We have also developed a methodology and criteria to facilitate the assessment of the Park’s cultural resources. Priorities will be established and an action plan for the conservation and interpretation of the Park’s cultural heritage will be developed.
A heritage experts committee, which includes First Nations representatives, was set up for this project and met on two occasions. Public consultations are planned for the fall .
Communication and Interpretation Plan
The Gatineau Park Communication and Interpretation Plan’s goal is to develop an integrated messaging framework for Gatineau Park. The objective is to provide the public, as well as internal and external Gatineau Park stakeholders, with consistent and cohesive messages that reflect Gatineau Park’s role as the Capital’s conservation park.
A second objective is to provide a messaging approach that will assist Gatineau Park program planners in planning and developing their activities with a view to transforming Gatineau Park visitors into ambassadors for the Park’s conservation messages. A further objective is to create an image of Gatineau Park as a unique messaging tool for Capital messages, and for emphasizing the Capital’s natural, cultural, political and heritage riches. An important output from the development of the Messaging Framework is the development of an interpretive plan for Gatineau Park, which integrates the natural and heritage programming streams.
The cards that GuideGatineau has begun distributing to promote the website are considered to be highly environmentally responsible due to the fact that the paper used is 100% recycled and is produced using energy from biofuels plus the ink is vegetable based.