Larrimac Wildlife Corridor
To the east of Gatineau Park, running down to the Gatineau river there remain forested lands outside of the park that a group is trying to protect. Just as the Quebec government in collaboration with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the National Capital Commission added an area of protection to the west of the Park, the Larrimac Wildlife Corridor & Conservation Lands Trust is working to protect an area more prone to development pressures based on its proximity to the city.
The Trust has already raised over $100,000 and is identifying lands for protection with the cooperation of Nature Chelsea, an initiative with a wealth of naturalist expertise.
Five Ski Trails Reviewed
Katie McMahon has posted five favorite ski trails she uses as alternatives to the parkways.
These are, as she puts it "not only beautiful and thrilling but they also better simulate some of the courses we race on throughout the winter."
Cross Country Ski Passes for 2010/11
This from an NCC press release: (note that the reservations link did not work at the time of posting this message)
As of November 1, cross country ski enthusiasts can take advantage of special pre-season rates by purchasing their season passes by December 15.
| CROSS Country Ski Rates
|
SEASON PASS | DAILY PASS | |
| Pre-Season Rates (until December 15) |
Regular Rates
(starting December 16) |
||
| Adult (age 18 to 59) | $130 | $160 | $13 |
| Student (age 18 to 24)
Senior (age 60 and older) |
$85 | $95 | $9 |
| Youth (age 13 to 17) | $70 | $75 | |
| Family* (Maximum five passes) | $310 | $350 | $27 |
* Maximum of two adults and three youths
Free for children 12 and under
Administration fee of $2.50 per shipment
Rates for groups of 25 or more are also available. For more information, visit www.reservations.gatineaupark.ca as of November 1st.
How to purchase your Gatineau Park ski passes?
Season Pass:
• Online: As of November 1st — Register and pay online at www.reservations.gatineaupark.ca
• In person: At the Gatineau Park Visitor Centre
Daily pass:
• In person: At the Gatineau Park Visitor Centre
• On-site: In the parking lots at the starting points of Gatineau Park ski trails
The public can also borrow free ski passes at municipal libraries in Canada’s Capital Region. For a list of libraries where this service is offered, visit www.gatineaupark.ca. For more information on winter activities in Gatineau Park, the public may contact the NCC at 819-827-2020, 1-800-465-1867, 613-239-5090 (TTY) or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY), visit the NCC’s website at www.gatineaupark.ca, or visit the Gatineau Park Visitor Centre located at 33 Scott Road, in Chelsea, Quebec.
Winter Cabin & Yurt Reservation System Changed
Updated based on NCC press release...
The NCC have announced a change in how people can reserve cabins or yurts for overnight stays in Gatineau Park. This from their website:
Please note that cabin reservations will no longer be done by draw. All reservations will now be on a first-come, first-served basis.
and
Reserve your stay, starting November 1 !
For reservations, contact Services récréatifs Demsis:
- Online, at www.reservations.gatineaupark.ca (update to the update - when I tried this link it didn't work)
- In person, at the Gatineau Park Visitor Centre 33 Scott Road, Chelsea, Quebec J9B 1R5
- By telephone at 819-456-3016 or 1-866-456-3016
Are Trail Names a Linguistic Issue?
I see that the CBC web coverage is generally supportive of a return of the old trail names but that people are skeptical as to whether the NCC will actually do such a thing. The source of this doubt seems to be a suspicion that the name change arose based on separatist objections to English trail names.
Certainly a return of historic trail names can be achieved while retaining a number system and also bringing French equivalent names into the mix.
I spoke to two people close to the heart of the matter back in 1977 when
Trail Names Campaign Coverage
Over the past weekend I was able to get some media coverage that will help promote the idea of bringing back some of the historic ski trail names in Gatineau Park.
The following news item appeared on CBC Radio on Saturday morning.
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Complemented by this web coverage
Which was preceded by this TV coverage the night before.
Snowshoe Oops
Here’s the story behind why the NCC appeared to rapidly change its mind about charging snowshoe enthusiasts a fee in the same way that they charge cross-country ski enthusiasts for ski trail passes.
Internal to the NCC the proposal was
NCC to Sell Snowshoe Passes?
Update: note Marc's comment below.
The following image has appeared (and was quickly removed) on the "winter" portion of the Gatineau Park website, implying that this winter, in addition to charging skiers for trail passes, the NCC plans to ask snowshoe enthusiasts to also purchase a pass.
I phoned the Visitor Centre in Gatineau Park and they confirmed that this was the plan, although it has not yet been announced.
Winter Trail Conditions – Muddy, Changeable
A group of about 30 people met last night at the NCC’s invitation to talk about winter trail use. About 20 of these people were dedicated representatives of park users with the remainder being NCC staff and their contractors.
The enthusiastic attendance by winter trail users was motivated by
NCC Say “Yes” “Yes” and “Not Now”
In mid September I submitted a request to the NCC with the backing of a number groups representing park users, local history enthusiasts and with a strong representation from cross country ski clubs.
In honour of the 100 years since the founding of the Ottawa Ski Club I requested that the NCC help celebrate the anniversary by:
- Restoring the monument to "Mort" (Charles Mortureux, who founded Camp Fortune and gave rise to all the cross country ski trails in the surrounding woods).
- Telling people about the 100th anniversary.
- Bringing back some of the old ski trail names.
From the headline you'll guess that the NCC:
"will work with interested parties to appropriately recognize the role of CE Mortureux in the development of the Gatineau Park trail system"
"will also assist in publicizing the October 23 celebration at Camp Fortune"
But as far as bring back the ski trail names is concerned the NCC "will be pleased to consider your suggestion once the Plan for Cultural Heritage for the Park, currently under development, is completed. This project is scheduled for the summer of 2011".
What this means is that Mort will be honoured by an interpretive plaque somewhere on the trails and the NCC will mention both the Camp Fortune Gala and the commemorative map in emails, and seem even to be willing to display the map at the visitor centre (hurrah!).
Unfortunately at this time there is no plan to bring the beautiful bronze plaque dedicated to Mort out of mothballs (I'd like to see it mounted in the Gatineau Park visitor centre, or in some Canadian Ski Museum display).
Bringing back some of those charming trail names that can be seen on the old map will have to wait until the Cultural Heritage plan is put together. But these names all have their own stories and they are certainly a strong representation of the cultural heritage of the park, so let's not give up on the idea of getting them back!