While attending the October 22nd, 2003 Toronto session of the First Information Centre - Algonquin Park Forest 2005 - 2025 Forest Management Plan, I talked with numerous Parks Ontario and MNR senior staff, as well as AFA representatives. It was apparent to me that while education and enforcement still need improvement, there have been some distinct efforts to maximize resources toward this end. Undoubtedly, some of the efforts have the side benefit of reducing operating costs. While the park's revised short-term efforts appear to incorporate some increased enforcement, it's clear that their long-term plans depend on re-aligning their limited resources to increase user-education.

A prime example of combining increased user-education with decreased operating costs is the park's increased promotion of the Minimum Impact philosophy, to foster "If you pack it in, you pack it out" and the taking home of camping garbage. This ties in with the park's progressive removal of garbage buildings from access points, trailhead parking lots, scenic pull-offs and picnic grounds ... thus reducing both collection and disposal costs.

The encouraging changes that have started to happen through the 2003 season don't mean we should drop the Preserve and Protect initiative. Rather, the start of changes tells us that our concerns are not being ignored. Continue communicating your concerns to both this website and the government officials responsible for Algonquin Park. Just remember that specific details, photographic illustration, constructive suggestions and a friendly tone go a long way toward making effective communications of our concerns for Algonquin Park's preservation and protection.

• Introduction
• Letters
• Addresses
• Regulations
• Report Incidents
• Incident Log
• Promotions
• Petition

Background

The management of staff and the overseeing of park staff came under new control in 1996 when the provincial parks system adopted a new entrepreneurial operating model (Ontario Parks .. a distinct branch of the MNR) where revenue generated by parks can be reinvested in the parks system. This was considered to be a more efficient and self-supporting provision of services.

A lot of responsibilty has now fallen from the government to non-profit groups (like The Friends of Algonquin) to try to provide awareness and education about Algonquin to park visitors.

Unfortunately, the increasing impression is that there's nolonger a higher social authority nor a public responsibility for our parks and natural world. Each component of the process is now perceived to be operating in efficient isolation .. each focused on its own "year-end".

There always were a few antisocial, hooligan and ignorant visitors that the rangers had to reign-in. But recently there's a definite increase in uninformed and uncaring visitors practising trashing, burning and other destructive behavior. Trash-piles, burned-out sites, killed trees, dangerous activities and damaged equipment are now being observed increasingly in Algonquin Park.

In January of 2003, John Winters (Superintendent of Algonquin Provincial Park) supplied these statistics from the year 2001

We evicted 220 persons.

720 charges were laid.

213 charges were under the Provincial Parks Act for violations like littering, excessive noise, can and bottle ban violations.

Almost 400 charges were laid for failure to obtain a permit.

55 charges were laid for liquor violations

Park Wardens spent 2312 days on enforcement. This does not include one full time Conservation Officer, OPP coverage, or some of our full time managers and group leaders who have enforcement capability and do enforce park and provincial laws.

We do have non compliance with Park rules but for the most part our 1 million visitors to the Park (including 250,000+ to the interior) are generally law abiding and environmentally conscious.

The following are unofficial estimates of current (2002) Algonquin Park staff levels . . .

They are estimated to include one Conservation Officer and about 25 staff with Park Warden appointments. Some of these staff are seasonal and some are permanent. Unfortunately, their primary role doesn't appear to be patrolling or enforcing legislation. However, they do have that authority. Approximately five of them have the additional authority of being Deputy Conservation Officers. These are mainly seasonal staff.

In addition, approximately another 25 seasonal staff that work for contractors have Park Warden authority. Of these Park Wardens, some service car-campgrounds and the highway corridor, while others service areas around the park's interior access points.

The difference between a Conservation Officer and a Park Warden is the legislation that they can enforce. Park Wardens can enforce the Ontario Fishery Regulations, and the main Federal and Provincial legislation relating to park use. However, they can't enforce Ontario's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.

"Recreation management ... The Provincial Parks Act and its regulations are enforced by conservation officers, deputy conservation officers and park wardens. Algonquin Park officers also enforce up to 16 other provincial statutes including the Game and Fish Act, Liquor Licence Act, Fisheries Act and regulations under them.

- Regulatory controls are introduced or modified as required.

- Officers also provide some assistance to other operational or management programs, such as the animal control program.

- Personal contact is an effective means of delivering enforcement and public education messages, but Park signage and publications (e.g. tabloids and canoe route maps) are also essential in relaying important regulatory messages and to further educate the public in recreation management problems. In campgrounds, the information covers noise and liquor-related offences while Interior information emphasizes regulations governing campfire use, can and bottle ban, fishing limits and the cutting of live vegetation. Future changes in management policies may occur to facilitate recreation management."

"conserving and managing Ontario's natural resources - our forest ecosystems, fish and wildlife resources, Crown lands and waters, and provincially significant natural and recreational areas, including provincial parks and conservation reserves."

"goals will be achieved by striving for excellence through leadership, meeting or exceeding service standards and being responsive to customer needs."

Clarification of Terms

It's important that we understand and use the same terms used by the bureaucrats and politicians who are involved in the management of Ontario's provincial parks.

For example, many of us consider the term "ranger" to represent the park staff-person who goes out on patrol, advising campers about appropriate practices and enforcing park regulations by charging violators.

However for years now in Ontario, the term "ranger" has been officially applied to the Ontario Ranger Program (www.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/youthprograms/ranger.html). This is an eight week job program that provides 17 year olds with park maintenance work. Participants are required to stay at a Ranger camp for the duration of their work term.

Likewise for years now in Ontario (until impacted by re-organization and funding cutbacks), those who are trained to go out on patrol, advising campers about appropriate practices and enforcing park regulations are officially named "conservation officers, deputy conservation officers and park wardens".

The ambiguity between "traditional" and "revised" terms, could easily result in a bureaucrat or politician proudly stating, for example, that 36 new "rangers" were assigned to a park during the summer of a given year, while in reality not a single new "conservation officer, deputy conservation officer or park warden" operated in that park.

The Beginning of Preserve and Protect Algonquin

On December 3rd of 2002, David Wickens posted concerns on the Message Board about campers, bears and park rangers ... "Time For A Change With Algonquin's Park Rangers". I responded by describing changes that Algonquin Park's operation had gone through in recent years, much to the park's detriment ... "Bring Back The Ranger!". It resulted in the most intense series of postings on one topic to ever show up on the Message Board. Some of the more detailed and emphatic postings are archived here.