236 EEPOliT OF THE Nd. 3 



Appendix No. J^d. 



KoNDEAu Peovincial Park, Ont., October 31st, 1920. 



Honourable Sir, — I beg to submit my report for the fiscal year ending 

 October 31st, 1920. 



Eondeau Provincial Park, situated as it is at the southern portion of the 

 County of Kent, on Lake Erie, with Eondeau Bay or Harbour lying in between it 

 and the mainland, is an ideal summer resort. 



Area. 



The Park covers an area of some 5,000 acres and is about eight miles in length. 

 Its greatest asset is its timber, as it i"s densely wooded with all kinds of valuable 

 irees, there being seven varieties of the oak family alone. There is also considerable 

 pine, walnut, white wood and all other varieties of hard wood found in Western 

 Ontario. Since it is the largest forest of its kind in Western Ontario it is a source 

 of education and enjoyment to a great many visitors. 



EOADS. 



We have two miles of well-built roadway, which has been clayed, then gravelled, 

 ^nd this has made a very satisfactory road. There are also eight miles of roads 

 which are merely trails, which we try to keep in shape, but owing to the light, 

 sandy soil it is not easy travelling for the motor cars, of which there are a great 

 number, especially in the summer season. Eoad building is greatly handicapped 

 liere because of the distance both clay and gravel has to be drawn. 



Fish and Game. 



There are about 400 deer at large in the Park. Eight are kept in an enclosure. 

 Next year they should be thinned out as they are so plentiful they are very injurious 

 to the young growth of trees, since they brouse principally on new sprouts, etc. 

 l\"e have a colony of beaver which have thrived very well; some have gone to other 

 parts of the county, one colony especially being reported in the vicinity of Clearville, 

 "where dams have been built and a regular home established. There are also black 

 squirrels, raccoons, and great areas of muskrat grounds. Eondeau Harbour is 

 ■especially noted for its wild duck, and its good fishing ground, such fish as pike, 

 big-mouthed, black and green bass, and once in a while a muskalonge being caught. 

 Many of our American friends come year after year to indulge in the sport of 

 angling. There are great carp grounds in the bay, as many as 100 boxes having 

 been lifted at one catch. 



There are three fishery companies operating on the Lake Erie side of Eondeau 

 Park, it being said to be one of the best fishing grounds in the Dominion. 



Natural Bird Sanctuary. 



Eondeau Park with its dense forest is a real paradise for birds, almost all 

 varieties being found here. We are interested in the raising of wild geese, of wlijch 

 -we have a flock of about 40, also wild turkev and wild mallard duck. 



