Pukaskwa Wilderness Area. This wilderness area is located in the White River 

 Forest District and contains approximately 600,000 acres. This is by far the 

 largest wilderness area in the province and was set aside because of the inaccessi- 

 bility of the interior and its unexcelled scenic beauty and the hunting and fishing 

 potential. 



In addition to the areas which have been set aside, there are a number of 

 areas which are being considered, these being largely what we are calling Nature 

 Reserves or reference areas. These are being recommended for their scientific and 

 biological interest. 



LAND ACQUISITION SECTION 



This year, the program of the Department to acquire private lands to provide 

 public access to water and lands for hunting, fishing, forestry and recreation, was 

 carried out by staff temporarily seconded from other branches. Following the 

 establishment of an inventory of about 500 properties totalling nearly one million 

 acres, the work of preparing applications for land purchase was commenced. 



About 90 per cent of the land proposed to be acquired in the present inventory 

 is located in the southern part of Ontario where the need for recreational land is 

 greatest. Much of the land, when acquired, will be developed for multiple forestry- 

 use management which includes reforestation of submarginal agricultural lands, 

 production of raw materials (mainly wood), management of wildlife for fishing 

 and hunting purposes, conservation and control of water supply, preservation of 

 natural aesthetic and scenic values of the land and countryside for the enjoyment 

 of present and future generations. 



Fifty applications totalling over Va -million acres were in process at year-end. 

 The figures exclude lands for provincial parks which are dealt with under Parks 

 Branch elsewhere in the report. 



Other departments chiefly concerned with the program are Public Works, 

 regarding negotiations for purchase with land owners, and Agriculture, regarding 

 lands eligible under the terms of the Federal-Provincial ARDA Agreement. The 

 jurisdiction and control of a number of properties surplus to the requirements of 

 the Department of Highways were transferred to the Department. These will be 

 managed under suitable departmental programs. 



Areas were acquired in the townships of Tiny, St. Edmunds and in the 

 townships of Murray, Brighton and Seymour for wildlife management and public 

 hunting totalling about 5,300 acres. A 1,200-acre parcel on Sturgeon Bay south 

 of the Lakehead in Blake Township was acquired to provide public access to the 

 west end of Lake Superior. About 3,000 acres acquired in five locations throughout 

 southern Ontario will provide lands essentially for forest management. A number 

 of smaller properties were purchased for rights-of-way, tower-sites, nursery exten- 

 sion and other needs in connection with departmental programs. 



SURVEYS SECTION 



During the year, priority was given to the production of the base drawings for 

 map folder number R. 163 "Recreational Areas and Parks within a 50 mile radius 

 of Metropolitan Toronto" on a scale of four miles to the inch. A special envelope 

 for the enclosure of the map folder for mailing purposes was also designed and 

 prpared. Over 278,000 copies were mailed to 1962 registered car owners in 

 the Metropolitan Toronto area, south of highway 401. Others were distributed 



151 



