Vacationing at Manigotagan River. Photo credit: Nathan Zahn
Proposed Manigotagan Park
by Nathan Zhan
The Manigotagan River flows north- westerly from the Nopiming Provincial Park and empties into Lake Winnipeg about 55 kilometres away from Nopiming's border. It's a very popular canoe river with lots of wildlife--a hidden treasure that many Manitobans have enjoyed as a weekend getaway or on a longer summer adventure.
The Manigotagan River sports a se- ries of gorgeous rapids that change in in- tensity with fluctuating rainfall and sea- sonally during the course of a year. It also boasts three separate waterfalls that cascade over some of the oldest rocks on the planet.
Winnipeg residents fish, hunt and canoe in this proposed park, taking ad- vantage of the fact that it takes only three hours by car to get there. It is fortunate that the area is still relatively pristine.
The proposed park has rich flora and fauna. Tree species include Jack pines, tamarack, white spruce, black spruce, Douglas fir, poplar and ash. Vertebrates include gray wolf, woodland caribou, black bear, moose, red fox, beaver, river ot- ters, lynx, bald eagle, several woodpecker species and the great horned owl.
Currently only a nar- row strip of land along- side the river--one quar- ter of a kilometre on each side for a total of 28.6 square kilometres--is temporarily protected as a `Park Reserve' (see map on right). The area's Park Reserve status expires on November 9, 2002.
The provincial NDP government holds the fate of this land in its hands. If it decides not to desig- nate the area a nark. The Pine Falls Paper Company, holder of the cutting rights to this forested area, will begin clearcutting.
WCWC believes not only that this Park Reserve must become a park, but also that sparing such a thin strip of ri- parian land is just a cosmetic gesture. A small leave-strip park would serve merely to give people using the river an illusion of wilderness because most won't notice the clearcuts out of sight just beyond the fringe of trees.
Such a small natural area is not large enough to keep the ecosystem intact and healthy. At first the WCWC proposed that the boundaries be increased to en- compass one kilometer on each side of the River--a four fold increase. Upon further study, this also is too small. To properly secure a future for Manigotagan's diverse ecosystem, the buffer zone needs to be expanded at least ten fold. The actual park boundary must be established by surveys made on the ground taking into account the contours of the land and its ecological features.
Decision time. Let's make sure the Government really protects the marvel- ous Manigotagan River ecosystem in a large fully protected provincial park.
