NEW DEVELOPMENTS 



Five new Provincial Parks were added during the year, 

 bringing the total from 108 to 1 13. The new parks included 

 McRae Point Park, on the east side of Lake Simcoe, and 

 The Shoals, 25 miles west of Chapleau. 

 . Three new Wild River parks were established: Mississagi, 

 north-east of Sault Ste. Marie; Chapleau-Nemegosenda, 

 between Chapleau and Lake Kapuskasing; and Lady Evelyn, 

 in the Temagami area. 



Over 400 primitive toilets were converted to cement 

 vault-type holding units. Spray irrigation techniques were 

 applied to lagoon sewage systems. 



Park facilities were improved with the installation of 

 showers, laundry rooms, flush toilets, hot water supplies 

 and centralized drinking water treatment systems at several 

 parks. 



Electrical outlets were installed, expanding the number 

 of parks so equipped to 24. 



INTERPRETATION 



Interpretation of natural and cultural resources to park 

 visitors continued its upward trend. In 1971, 892,760 

 visitors attended exhibits, conducted trips and lectures, to 

 learn more about the Province, its parks, environment, 

 resources management and history. The program also 

 helped to protect the parks by combatting littering and 

 destruction, and by orienting new campers and canoeists 

 toward better outdoor recreation practices. 



Innovations during the year included a specially-designed 

 children's program (ages 4 to 12) to teach camp craft, 

 history and outdoor games. 



Several new audio-visual programs were completed, and 

 new exhibits were developed at Craigleith, Kettle Lakes and 

 Esker Lakes. 



WINTER PARKS 



During the winter of 1971-2, four parks were operated on a 

 winter basis: Arrowhead, near Huntsville; Pinery, on Lake 

 Huron; Rondeau, on Lake Erie; and Sibbald Point, on Lake 

 Simcoe. Regular park fees for vehicle entry and camping 

 were levied. Facilities included snow-ploughed roads and 

 camping areas; heated washrooms with hot water; central 

 drinking water, fuelwood supply and garbage disposal. 

 Electrical outlets were available in three parks, the 

 exception being Rondeau. 



Ski-tow facilities and toboggan slides attracted the 

 heaviest winter use at Pinery: 2,325 skiers, 1,995 skaters, 

 2,950 tobogganers, and 950 snowmobiles. 



SNOWMOBILES TRAILS 



Snowmobiling was permitted in many Provincial Parks 

 during the winter of 1971-2. Approximately 200 miles of 



marked trails and 700 miles of park roads were available for 

 this activity. 



With approximately 200,000 snowmobiles registered in 

 Ontario up to December 30, 1971 , the rapid growth of this 

 sport has exerted considerable pressure on the environment, 

 and imposed increased costs of administration and control. 



Snowmobiling was prohibited in Long Point, Bass Lake, 

 Mara, Springwater, McCrae Point, North Beach, Sandbanks, 

 Killbear, and Algonquin Parks. 



Snowmobiling was restricted to designated areas in 

 Pinery, Rondeau, Earle Rowe, Sibbald, Darlington, Emily, 

 Balsam Lake, Presqu'ile, Outlet Beach, Bon Echo, 

 Arrowhead, Mark S. Bumham, Killarney, Kakabeka, Sibley, 

 Lake Superior and Quetico Parks. 



In addition to the 300 miles of cross-country 

 snowmobile trails established on Crown lands in the Parry 

 Sound, Lindsay and Tweed Districts, a further 300 miles of 

 trails were under development in Agreement Forests 

 managed by Resource Products Division. 



ACCESS POINTS: 



During 1971, maintenance and improvements were carried 

 out on 625 public access points. The improvements 

 included the construction of launching ramps, parking areas 

 and primitive toilets. 



CANOE ROUTES: 



Each year approximately 60,000 persons enter Algonquin 

 and Quetico for interior canoe camping. The sport is 

 growing so rapidly that many enthusiasts are looking for 

 more challenging and less crowded routes. In recognition of 

 this need, a program to document historic canoe routes in 

 northern Ontario was established in 1967. A booklet, 

 "Northern Ontario Canoe Routes", printed in 1971, 

 received wide publicity. This booklet summarizes 125 

 routes, representing over 1 1 ,000 miles of canoeing 

 waterways. 



HIKING TRAILS: 



Hiking continued to increase in popularity as more trails 

 were provided. Major emphasis was given to the planning of 

 a co-ordinated system of hiking, equestrian and cross- 

 country ski trails to achieve maximum utilization on a 

 year-round basis. 



A major accomplishment during 1971 was the 

 completion of a new Rideau Trail, from Kingston to 

 Ottawa, by interested groups of private citizens. Negotia- 

 tions are underway for the use of the 60-mile abandoned 

 railway line from Tweed to Glen Tay. Additional trail 

 locations were developed during 1971 in Algonquin, Lake 

 Superior and Quetico Parks. 



SPORTS FISHERIES BRANCH 



Sport Fisheries Branch has three objectives: 



(1) to provide and maintain opportunities for sport 

 fishing by residents 



(2) to provide and maintain opportunities for sport 

 fishing by tourists to benefit the economy of Ontario 



(3) to maintain the quality and quantity of the fishing 

 resource. 



ANGLING REGULATIONS 



While few changes were made in the Ontario Fishery 

 Regulations in 1971, two amendments are worthy of note. 



In the northern part of the province, the usual opening 

 date of May 15 for yellow pickerel continues in effect 

 except that when May 15 falls on a Sunday or Monday, the 

 opening date will be the Saturday immediately preceding 

 May 15. 



The second amendment concerns the lake trout season 

 in the border waters between Minnesota and Ontario — 

 Division 22. In this case, a split season, January 1 to the last 

 day of February, and from May 15 to the last Sunday in 

 September, has been estabhshed to restrict angling during 

 periods of high vulnerability. 



