1912 AND FISHERIES COMMISSION. 177 



The Quetico Forest Reserve. 



The most recent addition to tlie provincial parks of Ontario is tlio 

 great Quetico Forest Reserve, situated in the extreme west of the Province 

 in the Rainy River District. One of the most interesting features of 

 the reserve is the fact that its creation has afforded an opportunity for 

 international co-operation in the matter of the conservation of wild life, 

 for its southern borders touch for some distance the International bound- 

 ary and are conterminous with an extensive reserve on the southern 

 side. At the present time the reserve is well out of the path of civiliza- 

 tion and is, in fact, somewhat difficult of access, but the citizen or 

 foreign tourist, who takes occasion to visit it, is well repaid for his 

 trouble in the general beauty of the scenery that meets his eye and in 

 the abundance of wild life that is to be seen almost everywhere, and 

 there can be little question that as the attractions of the reserve in these 

 directions become better known, greater numbers of both citizens of the 

 Province and visitors from outside will yearly take advantage of them. 

 The peculiar appellation of the region in which it is situated, the Rainy 

 River District, is perhaps somewhat calculated to keep visitors away, 

 but as a matter of fact this name, which was derived from that bestowed 

 on the great river flowing through it by the old-time French-Canadian 

 pioneers, is but a mistranslation of the French word " Reine," and the 

 district itself enjoys a climate as pleasant, bracing and dry as that of 

 any other portion of the Province. 



But little accurate information of the geography of the reserve is 

 available. Ten rangers, working in pairs, are placed in it for five months 

 of the year which constitute the fire ranging season. This force is col- 

 lected at and despatched from Fort Frances and gains access to the 

 reserve either by the Namakan River or through Lake La Croix, and is 

 under the superintendence of a chief ranger, but as under favourable 

 circumstances it will take three days for the men to reach the nearest 

 and most accessible beat and as also there is not one permanent member 

 of the corps, it is only too evident that not only will there be a tempta- 

 tion in so wild and distant a region for the men to neglect their duties, 

 but also there will be but little probability of accurate information as 

 to the geography, or timber, game, mineral and other resources of the 

 reserve being obtained by this means. Indeed, a trip through the heart 

 of the reserve disclosed the fact that in the majority of cases the rangers 

 keep to the larger rivers and lakes, remain in blissful ignorance of the 

 geography of their beats, and undertake or attempt but very little work. 

 Consequently, not only is the great bulk of the reserve left practically 

 uncarwl for, but routes of access to the inner portions remain unexplored 

 and throughout the reserve portages have become overgrown or con- 

 cealed and their landings, in this wild country in almost every instance 

 difficult, have remained unimproved, so that the difficulties of successful 

 ranging have in no way been removed for the ranging service of future 



15 F.C. 



