in Sibbald Point Park, (2) the sites of historical and archaeo- 

 logical significance along the Mattawa River, (3) the Hudson 

 Bay Post site at Fort LaCioche, and (4) the extent of the 

 Huron village site at Methodist Point Park Reserve. 



NATURE RESERVES 



Nature reserves are Class V parks as described under the 

 Park Classification System (1967). Areas so designated may 

 lie within existing parks or may be Provincial Parks within 

 their own right. These designated reserves will be living 

 museums, encompassing unique and representative seg- 

 ments of our flora and fauna, as well as unique geological 

 and historical areas. In addition to preservation, these areas 

 will serve an important role in education and research 

 programs. 



To assist the Branch in this program, an advisory com- 

 mittee to the Minister has been established. This committee 

 will recommend the broad fields of interest and study 

 which should be represented in the system of nature re- 

 serves as well as recommending specific areas which should 

 be established. 



SNOWMOBILE TRAILS 



The rapidly increasing need for snowmobiling areas has 

 been met in part by the Provincial Parks system. Roads or 

 other specially designated areas are now available for snow- 

 mobiling in most Provincial Parks. It has been necessary to 

 prohibit or restrict their use in certain parks to protect the 

 wilderness environment, deer wintering areas, or fragile 

 ecological, geological and historic areas within these parks. 



Snowmobiles are prohibited in: 



1. Sandbanks Provincial Park 



2. Serpent Mounds Provincial Park 



3. Killbear Provincial Park 



4. Quetico Provincial Park 



Snowmobiles are restricted in: 



1. Algonquin Provincial Park — to travel only on the 

 following lakes: Canoe, Cache, Bonita, South Tea and 

 Smoke. 



2. Lake Superior Provincial Park — to travel only on the 

 Midjin Lake Road and Midjin, Maquon, Almonte, Wabi- 

 goon and Mirimaki Lakes. 



In conjunction with other winter sports facilities, approx- 

 imately 17 miles of snowmobile trail were developed in 

 Pinery Park. 



The three new cross-country trails, totalling 65 miles, 

 established over Crown lands near Coldwater and Parry 

 Sound, will provide information on problems of main- 

 tenance and user control on which any expansion of this 

 program will be based. 



ACCESS POINTS 



The establishment and maintenance of public access points 

 will ensure public access to the major water systems of 

 Ontario and will provide one of the means by which it will 

 be possible to control and reduce the accumulation of 

 refuse and litter on our public lands. 



During 1968, improvements and maintenance were 

 carried out on some 475 public access points, and a num- 

 ber of new sites were developed across the province. Long- 

 range plans for recreational development will include an 

 expansion of this program to provide for increasing public 

 travel into areas where new road access has been con- 

 structed. The development of picnic and rest stops, for 

 water-oriented recreationists using small craft along the 

 Trent-Severn and Rideau System and the Georgian Bay 

 Islands, has received favourable public response. 



CANOE ROUTES 



The program of documenting, mapping and improving of 

 portages on major canoe routes is proceeding in con- 

 junction with other work programs of the Department. In 

 response to increasing public demand for information on 

 canoe areas, a provisional brochure, "Canoe Routes in 

 Northern Ontario", was widely distributed. 



HIKING TRAILS 



Several hiking trails have been established on Crown lands, 

 and plans are underway to assist private agencies in pro- 

 viding for this activity by the construction of overnight trail 

 shelters, and sanitary and water facilities at appropriate 

 locations where these trails cross lands administered by 

 the Crown. 



PARKS CERTIFICATE COURSE 



The first Parks Certificate Course was held in Algonquin 

 Park from October 21 to November 8. This in-service train- 

 ing course was aimed at broadening and up-dating the 

 knowledge of the Department's parks personnel. Twenty- 

 four candidates, made up of Park Supervisors, Park Super- 

 intendents, and Park Naturalists, attended the course. 

 Master planning, site planning and park interpretation were 

 dealt with in detail within a broad concept of recognition 

 of basic park values. 



FEDERAL-PROVINCIAL PARKS CONFERENCE 

 Ontario was the host for the 7th Federal-Provincial Parks 

 Conference which was held in Algonquin Provincial Park 

 from September 30 to October 4. All of the 10 Provinces 

 and the Federal Government were represented at the con- 

 ference. The theme of the conference was "Use and Under- 

 standing". The many excellent presentations and discus- 

 sions relating to this theme made the conference an un- 

 qualified success. 



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