The Preliminary Draft Agreement-in-Principle has been made available for public review to support consultation efforts in the Algonquin Land Claim negotiations. The Preliminary Draft is a work in progress that is still under review and subject to revision by the negotiating parties. Following the review process, a finalized draft of the Agreement-in-Principle will be submitted to the Algonquins of Ontario for a ratification vote. This is expected to take place later in 2013. Once finalized and accepted, the Agreement-in-Principle would be a non-binding statement of the main elements of a settlement of the Algonquin Land Claim that will form the framework for future negotiations towards a Final Agreement.

Copies of all related documents can be downloaded at ... www.aboriginalaffairs.gov.on.ca/english/negotiate/algonquin .
Interested individuals are invited to discuss the issues involved on the Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists General Forum.

Rob Waywell and his son took a 4-day McManus Lake Canoe Trip August 3 - 6, 2012 .. upriver on the Petawawa, to Smith and Whitson Lakes .. with a daytrip up the south end of Five Mile Rapids. They were geared-up for fishing and were successful in catching all kinds of bass, catfish, walleye and muskie!

".. so I picked up the rod to pull it in and clean off the lure again. These weeds seemed to be fighting back though and it was soon clear that I had a fish hooked. As it got closer, I could see what looked like the largest Bass I had ever caught. I'd been hoping for another Muskie but this Bass was plenty big enough to make up for not being a Muskie. Then Peter said "That's not a Bass, look at the eyes. Instead of a Bass, I had hooked a monster Walleye. I used the net for this one and after a picture I measured it at 28" long.

Park staff has issued their current winter protocol Winter Permits and Information. Thanks to Gord Baker of Algonquin Outfitters for passing it along.

"When purchasing a permit for the west side of the park when West Gate is closed, you may call the East Gate by dialling 613-637-2780 ext. 229 during office hours. A valid credit card is required. You must speak with a park representative to validate park use. For safety reasons, visitors must leave a note on the vehicle dash clearly indicating your name, destination, arrival and departure dates and the permit transaction number that will be given at the time of the booking. In the event of an emergency your trip details will be used as a reference and the necessary action will be taken ..."

If you are inspired by Algonquin Park to create art, Algonquin Outfitters is encouraging you to submit your art to its very first Algonquin Art Contest which is inspired by great painters like Tom Thomson. AO's art contest has been picked as one of Huntsville's official Tom Thomson 100th Anniversary Events. Any watercolour, oils, sketches, or even sculptures .. photographed or scanned into a digital file and submitted online .. will be accepted. There are categories to encourage everyone to enter, from amateur to professional, and even a kids category. Entries must be submitted by December 31st, 2012.

The judges are .... Gene Canning - www.genecanning.com .... Matt Cole - www.algonquinartcentre.com .... Olaf Schneider - www.olaf.ca .... Rob Stimpson - www.robstimpson.com

Rob Howes has submitted a trip-log of a 2010 loop tandem-trip he took from Opeongo Lake, via Proulx, Big Crow, Lavieille, Dickson and Bonfield Lakes .. 5 Day Loop through Proulx and Lavielle to Opeongo - July 2010.

"There is something special about swimming in a crystal clear, clean, fresh lake with nothing around but lots of trees. A dip in Lake Simcoe just can't compare. Dinner was Beef Stroganoff with dehydrated beef and instant mashed potatoes. The dishes were done and the food hung by 8:30. Sitting by the last of the fire about 10:15, enjoying the last of the evening, I heard one faint, lone wolf call come over the water from the southwest. Quote from trip log 'Laying here on a tarp beside a small fire with the sound of the lake lapping the shore. Life Is Good.'."

The organizers of TEDxAlgonquinPark have announced the availability of the online video of the first speaker at the September 6th event .. Terri LeRoux's "Algonquin Deficit Disorder".

"Terri LeRoux kicked off the day of speaking and her video presentation also on ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’, a term used to describe the lack of connection the young generation has with nature. Sadly more and more children are acquiring repetitive stress injuries from keyboards instead of scrapes from climbing trees. As a parent, one thing Terri hopes to instill in her own child is the difference between loneliness and solitude. She explained that loneliness is the feeling of disconnection whereas solitude is the feeling of universal connection. She left us with a call to action to help ensure all children in Ontario have the chance to experience the wilderness at an early age."

In September, Bob & Diana McElroy added an account to their website, of a hike from their St. Andrews Lake campsite to a cliff overlooking Tarn Lake .. determining that the clifftop was the site of Tom Thomson's painting, "View from a Height" .. The Cliff at Tarn Lake - View from a Height".

"After visiting the cliff at Tarn Lake, we are convinced that this is indeed the location of the Tom Thomson painting, View from a Height. The only detail that gives us pause is the noninclusion of Little Tarn Lake. However, we are discussing a painting, not a photograph. One can speculate several reasonable artistic or practical considerations that could have led Thomson to exclude that feature. Further one must assume that Thomson was aware of, and had ample opportunity to visit, this location.”.

Tom Taylor has submitted a trip-log of a four-person, five-day canoe trip out of Magnetawan Lake to Misty Lake and back .. Misty Lake and Back - Sept. 6-10, 2012.

"Fishing, exploring other sections of the lake and just enjoying Algonquin were part of the day's plans. This slowly changed to a test of endurance against the rain that would not go away. We tried some fishing, exploring, gathering firewood, playing cards, but I was struggling to keep a positive attitude. I simply crawled back in the tent, wrapped my sleeping bag around me and waited , and waited, and waited but it just kept raining. At one point in the afternoon, Eric raised both fists and looked skyward, and yelled “Is this all you got?”.

MartinG has submitted another trip-log. This one is of his four-day "two-solo-canoe" loop out of Cedar Lake via the Petawawa River to Burntroot Lake and return by the Nipissing River in September of this year .. Trip Report: Cedar-Pet-Burntroot-Nip-Cedar.

".. you are exposed to wicked winds and waves as they funnel down Cedar's long north arm and hit your canoe broadside. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that it is calm based on the Brent boat launch. From Brent you cannot see the waves in the middle of the lake. Once out in it, there is nowhere to hide. No islands to seek shelter behind. We made the crossing without any real trouble but it required concentration and effort to manage the weather .."