​​Amendment to the Pinery Provincial Park Management Plan​

Pinery Provincial  Park: Pinery Provincial Park, established in 1957, is a 2532.5 hectares (ha) natural environment class park. The park is located on the southeast shore of Lake Huron in Lambton Shores, south of Grand Bend.

The purpose of Pinery Provincial Park is to:

• Protect an extensive, provincially significant, freshwater dune system and associated representative floral, faunal, and cultural features
• Provide high quality educational and recreational experiences

Specifically, the park protects:  

• One of the largest remaining intact costal dune systems on the Great Lakes including over 50 floral species that are rare in Ontario or Canada
• Diverse vegetation communities including oak savanna, open dune, wet meadow, river communities, and Carolinian Forest supporting many rare and at-risk species

Proposed Changes to the Pinery Provincial Park Management Plan:

• 3.2 - Vision Statement: addition 
• 3.3 - Scientific Research Objective: addition 
• 5 - Summary of Pressures: clarified that pressures impacting park values will be addressed through actions and policies identified within the management plan (i.e., restoring disturbed areas and developing resource management infrastructure)  
• 6- Proposed zoning amendments: 
  • Addition to the development zone to accommodate an upgraded trailer sanitation station 
  • Addition to the natural environment zone to include the Crown Lake bed portion of the park (previously not zoned) 
  • Addition of Nature Reserve 6 Zone - Old Ausable Channel (previously not zoned) 
  • Addition to the nature reserve, natural environment zone and reduction in development zone to support Burley Campground restoration (Rewilding Burley)
  • Updated mapping and Figure 2 -Summary of zoning to reflect proposed zoning changes
• 7.1 - Resource management: Proposed policies that secondary plans may be prepared to address more complex management topics
• 7.1.3.1 - Hyper-abundant species: Proposed expanded policy to enable management for all hyper-abundant species, if required, to protect and preserve the park’s biodiversity
• 7.2 - Water Management: Proposed policy to support aquatic habitat connectivity in the Old Ausable Channel (OAC). Proposed policy to include water level management to address flooding as a result of climate related weather events and beaver damming (management actions would be subject to review and approval by applicable regulatory bodies) 
• 7.3 - Land management: Proposed policy change to state that a sand dune management plan ‘may be prepared’ from ‘will be prepared’
• 7.4 - Vegetation: Proposed removal of reference to the development of a separate vegetation management plan to be replaced with reference to the approved resource management strategy. Proposed addition of policies to support management for Red Cedar, Dwarf Oak, and Interdunal Cedar complex communities  
• 7.2.5.2 - Noxious species control: Proposed change to policy specific to Poison Ivy to address all Noxious species management in the development zone and along trails
• 7.4.5.6 - Chemicals: Proposed removal of policy 
• 8.1.1. - Campgrounds: Proposed policy to support the addition of campsites/roofed accommodations in disturbed areas and the closure of campsites, roofed accommodations, campgrounds and associated infrastructure if they impact the park’s ability to maintain ecological integrity 
• 8.1.3 - Day use areas: Proposed removal of policy regarding cessation of daily vehicle permits based on park capacity as the policy is operational, and out of scope of management plan. Proposed removal of policy directing the content of the development of a sand dune management plan
• 8.1.4 - Trails: Proposed policy to support trail management (including permitted uses, seasonal closure, and re-routing) to protect park values and maintain ecological integrity. Proposed removal of specific ski trail policies under trail management. Proposed removal of secondary trail management plan  
• 8.1.5 - Boat access: Proposed policy prohibiting motorboats in the OAC (ecological protection) and to support upgraded access option points for motorless crafts (to minimize access in unauthorized locations) 
• 9.3 - Outdoor recreation: Proposed removal of policy regarding special activities
• 9.5 - Emergency services: Proposed removal of section (park emergency plans are operational, thus out of scope of the management plan) 
• 9.5 - Law enforcement: Proposed removal of the focus and emphasis of the program – enforcement program will be carried out in accordance with MECP policy 
• 10 Implementation priorities updated to include:
  • the trailer sanitation station upgrades
  • Rewilding Burley – restoration and recreation development
  • Burley Bridge water control structure upgrades
• Throughout
• Minor corrections for clarity and alignment with Ontario publication standards

Pinery Provincial Park Management Plan administrative updates

In December 2023 and March 2024, we made administrative updates to the 2014 amended Pinery Provincial Park Management Plan to bring it up to current Ontario Parks management plan standards. The maps were updated (regional context, local setting, zoning and existing development). New sections that reflect current Ontario Parks policy (not park-specific) were added, subsequent minor amendments (1994 and 1998) were included, and some sections of the management plan were moved, reorganized or re-numbered.

Public Consultation

We are interested in any comments the public may have. This is the only opportunity for the public to comment on this proposed amendment to the Pinery Provincial Park Management Plan. All comments received will be considered before finalizing the amendment to the management plan.

The ministry will also be contacting Indigenous communities and contacts on the project mailing list, including provincial and regional stakeholders, to advise them of the proposal.