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Friday, 11 January 2008 08:12 |
A new provincial wilderness park could be in store for Saskatchewan,
one where backpack-toting adventure seekers could go "extreme" camping,
the government says.
REGINA -- A new provincial wilderness park could be in store for
Saskatchewan, one where backpack-toting adventure seekers could go
"extreme" camping, the government says.
The project won't be
happening in the immediate future, said Tourism, Parks, Culture and
Sport Minister Christine Tell, but designating a wilderness park that
would be a destination for backcountry campers is something the
ministry plans to consider during the next few years.
The
Saskatchewan Party first outlined the goal of a new wilderness park "to
accommodate extreme camping" during the fall election campaign.
"That's the best-kept secret in Saskatchewan, is our wilderness," Tell said.
There
are four wilderness parks in the province, described on a government
website as protecting large tracts of land with "a high potential for
human-powered wilderness recreation activities."
Yukon has
promoted its wilderness adventures to tourists from as far away as
Europe, and there is potential for Saskatchewan to market itself in a
similar fashion, said Tell.
The minister is directing ministry
officials to support more eco-tourism and First Nations tourism
initiatives during the next four years.
There's no idea yet on
where a wilderness park ideal for camping would be located, but there
has been some preliminary discussion about the idea, said the minister,
the Sask. Party MLA for Regina Wascana Plains.
"The important
part of all of it is to make sure that we have consultation with
interested parties and aboriginal and Metis because they will likely be
involved in whatever area that we would think would be good (for a
wilderness park)," Tell said in an interview this week.
The idea
got a warm reception from some adventurers in the province. Joe
Milligan of Regina said there are many opportunities for outdoor
activities in Saskatchewan, including winter camping and canoeing, but
designated wilderness backcountry sites are hard to come by.
"I think it's great that the province is looking at this," he said.
"A
lot of times you have to (visit the backcountry) on unused Crown land
where they don't have the designated trails or you have to go to
private landowners and negotiate with them."
Travelling on your
own power into the outdoors and camping is a chance to appreciate and
explore the province as people might have many years ago, Milligan
added.
"I get into the outdoors to escape," he said. "I don't
want to have the blares of TVs, I don't want the smell of exhaust or
the sound of motors running."
James Briens, co-owner of Eb's
Source for Adventure store in Saskatoon, said he hopes the province
also works on making people aware of the outdoor activities in the
province that are already available, such as canoe routes.
"We have so many people come to Saskatchewan to paddle," he said. "That would be something to really promote."
Article Source: The Star Phoenix
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