Michèle Proulx, Park Planner…

Michèle Proulx, Park Planner Ministry of Natural Resources Provincial Services Division, Ontario Parks Northwest Zone Office 435 James Street South Thunder Bay Ontario P7E 6S8 Re: EBR # 011-8197 According to http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/bldg.html, this is the definition of Wilderness Class Parks: “The objective of wilderness class parks is to protect large areas where the forces of nature can exist freely and visitors travel by non-mechanized means, except as may be permitted by regulation, while engaging in low-impact recreation to experience solitude, challenge and integration with nature.The target for wilderness class parks is to establish one wilderness park, or equivalent sized national park, and one complementary wilderness zone in each of Ontario's 13 ecoregions. Wilderness parks should exceed 100,000 hectares, while zones should be greater than 2000 hectares in size. Due to extensive incompatible use, true wilderness can no longer be found in the province's two southernmost site regions.” Wabakimi needs to continue as a wilderness class park. To suggest that sections of it might be made more ‘human’ friendly as a recreational area is antithetical to the concept and Ontario Parks’ policy of protecting large areas where nature can exist in its purest and original form. Once this Pandora’s box is opened to greater “access to enhance the character of the parks and the visitors experience”, then this wilderness will become just like the southernmost region where Ontario Parks admits that true wilderness can no longer be found. This park needs to be kept remote with the most minimal of human footprints allowed. Motorized land and water access needs to be restricted. "New tourism opportunities will be identified through the park management planning process”, seems to indicate that it will be turned into another pseudo Disneyland affair much like Banff and Jasper where nature takes a back seat to consumerism. Turning a section into a tourist haven with all the required amenities now requisite for the ‘modern’ day camper will degrade the very soul of what makes this park so special. The woodland caribou range that exists within the park area needs to be preserved, improved and extended. Caribou herds require millions of hectares of undisturbed lands as well as protective buffers between its range and human activities. Wabakimi in an untouched state helps serve this need. The woodland caribou are classified as threatened with extinction. Fifty percent of their historic range has been lost since 1880 – calculated at a horrendous rate of 35,000 square kilometres per decade. Forest fragmentation and degradation are the dominant threats to the survival of this species. The directive to leave Wabakimi in its wilderness state will not only help sustain the health of caribou populations but in turn will also maintain overall health of boreal forests. By offering protection for the woodland caribou, other wildlife that also rely on undisturbed, mature boreal forest ecosystems will also benefit. The proposed ‘Terms of Reference’ suggests that the promotion of economic opportunities will be put ahead of environmental protection. In the end this may result in a downgrading of park classification. This would be a tragedy for Ontario’s flora and fauna, species at risk and for all Ontarians.

[Original Comment ID: 156394]