Ontario Old Growth…

Ontario Old Growth Conservation Volunteers are a group of 610 individuals who care about complex and diverse old growth mature forests (habitat and roadless ecosystems).

We want to bring to attention to you two of the main forests that we care about. There are several others that we work on but both the Rushbrook/Spanish Forest area and the Blueberry Lake Forest in Temagami are the areas that we feel stand out as unique and special habitats that have rare Red and White Pine Old Growth, wilderness habitat and offer recreational opportunities to Ontarians.

RUSHBROOK- SPANISH FORESTS
The area around Rushbrook and Shakwa Lakes in the Spanish Forest has been recognized since at least 1990 for high concentrations of old-growth white and red pine forests and a large contiguous pristine landscape. However, the provincial park that was created to protect this area does not include important recreational canoe routes, confirmed pristine watersheds, and significant tracts of old-growth forest. Ontario Old Growth Conservation Volunteers ask that you adopt the recommendations put forward by Mike Henry - Old Growth expert in the attached report. Connecting the existing Rushbrook Park with the Spanish River Park and the outlined areas in the report will connect the flatwater paddling system with the white water route for canoers. The lakes going north from Rushbrook Shakwa and Sinaminda are used extensively by fishermen, trappers, ATVers and snowmobilers.
As the Ontario population grows this area could easily become the next Temagami providing Ecotourism economic opportunities for the area.

BLUEBERRY LAKE TEMAGAMI
Blueberry Lake preserves a rare remnant of old forest with white and red pine trees reaching at least 280 years-old, and a very rare stand of old-growth yellow birch. It also is part of a popular canoe loop, and trails that access the old-growth forest are frequently used and well-maintained. This canoe loop is one of the most popular short canoe loops near Temagami that support the weekend trippers that support Temagami Outfitters and Smoothwater Outfitters

Ontario Old Growth Conservation Volunteers ask that you adopt the recommendations put forward by Mike Henry - Old Growth expert in the attached report.

OOGCV's recognize the importance of working forests to the northern communities and want to support sustainable forestry, however we want to put forward that these 2 places standout from the additional old growth forests that we have an interest in as these both offer ecotourism economic opportunities if the communities seek to diversify their economies not to mention the need to protect some wilderness areas for wildlife habitat.

It is very easy to take short term economic paths and it is much harder to have a long term vision as democracy encourages shorty term 4 yr thinking. We will do our part to help develop the tourism opportunities for these communities but it is the governments job to look after long term decision making. We can see all across Northern Ontario that the forest industry has had a questionable commitment to Ontario and have long history of abandoning long term commitment to Ontario by just chasing short term profits and then they cry poor and ask you for more money to retool while degrading the forest for the future.

Thankyou for this opportunity and we hope that it is a sincere opportunity and that it is not an already rigged outcome.