Poplar River. Photo by Henry Kalen.
Wild places need protection
The Atikaki, Manigotagan River, Poplar/Nanowin and Nopiming areas contain many of the magical features the East Shore Wilderness is famous for, such as cascading waterfalls, towering pines and herds of woodland caribou. Permanently protecting these four very special areas, comprising about 9% of the East Shore Wilderness, would be a good start towards preserving an expanded network of interconnected parks that should encompass at least 75% of the East Shore Wilderness. We believe such a bold plan is needed to conserve the incredible wildlife, tourism and recreation opportunities found here. Unfortunately, although the four areas all have some form of protection, they are all imminently under threat by shortsighted decisions of the Manitoba government.
Atikaki status in question
Located right on the Manitoba-Ontario border is the Atikaki Provincial Wilderness Park. (see map). This designation prohibits hydro dams, mining ventures, and all industrial clearcut logging within its 4,000 square km boundary. Atikaki, meaning “Caribou Country” in Saulteaux-Ojibwa, provides a rich home to many species of wildlife as well as some of the finest canoeing in Canada.
Sadly, in 1997, the Manitoba government removed a 138 square km portion of Atikaki Wilderness Park because a number of mining claims conflicted with the park boundaries. The mining zone was misleadingly renamed South Atikaki Park Reserve. This status means that the area will be under review by the provincial government until September 11, 2002 at which time the government must make a decision on whether to leave it in the hands of the mining industry or protect it permanently by adding it once more to the provincial wilderness park.
Manigotagan river. Photo by Harvey Zahn.
It is time to defend and expand our existing park system! Let the Manitoba government know that the practice of stealing a section from a provincial wilderness park and handing it to the mining industry is not an acceptable way of managing our precious natural heritage.
Manigotagan —‘temporary park’?
The current Manigotagan River Park Reserve is a paltry 250 meters on either side of the river totaling 28.6 square kilometers – not enough to protect the area’s wildlife populations or outstanding recreation values. Unfortunately things could even get worse! The government of Manitoba is now considering designating this river reserve as a provincial park under a Recreational Development banner which would allow both mining and logging within its tiny boundaries.
The importance of converting this park reserve to a fully protected park status is essential to successfully creating a conservation vision network of fully protected areas for the East Shore Wilderness. By September 11th 2002, the park reserves’ official expiration date, a decision must be made regarding a permanent designation. We say that the government of Manitoba must grant full protection from all industrial exploitation plus a 10-fold expansion of the boundaries to ensure that 2.5 km is protected on each bank. This is the minimum amount needed to preserve biodiversity values in this stunning area and provide for backcountry recreation.
