Tag Archives: NCC

Rock Climbing

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.

Unofficial Trail Use

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.

Equestrian Program

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).

Development of Plans

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.”

NCC Board Meeting – Acquisitions Report

As part of the CEO’s report today to the NCC Board of Directors, acquisitions of land for Gatineau Park were reported as follows:

On January 1, 2008, the NCC identified 405 private properties with a total area of approximately 600 hectares (1,483 acres).

Since the last Board meeting, we have concluded four transactions for a total area of 5.3 hectares (13.2 acres). This brings the total area to 155.8 hectares (385 acres) for the 30 private properties acquired since January 2008 in Gatineau Park.

Muddy Results on Recreation Consultation

Gatineau Park was founded in large part based on its role for recreation. The more recent emphasis on conservation highlights concerns that park users could with time love the place to death. Continue reading

Call for Input – Gatineau Park Conservation Brainstorm

So some weeks ago the Ecosystem Conservation Plan came out. It got press because Continue reading

Other Brainstorming Suggestions

Louis René Sénéchal of the NCC has asked GuideGatineau readers to kick in their ideas for a catchphrase Continue reading

What the Ecosystem Conservation Plan Means To You

This week the Gatineau Park Ecosystem Conservation Plan was released.

Most of the news coverage related to the release has focused on rock climbing. The debate between the NCC and rock climbers is important but the Plan is bigger than that.

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No Grooming on Gatineau Park Back Trails

Please post comments here (click).

Last winter I was skiing on Trail #8 in Gatineau Park and asking every skier I met whether they thought the grooming improved the trail or made it worse.

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