Newsletter - Ontario Parks

Woodland Caribou Signature Site
Where Nature Still Rules
Spring 2003
Highlights
In March 1999 the government of Ontario announced Ontario’s
Living Legacy, an initiative that will result in the creation of 378 new
parks and protected areas. The Land Use Strategy for Ontario’s Living
Legacy identified featured areas, or “signature sites”, which have
exceptional natural and cultural features deserving special protection
and promotion.
The Woodland Caribou Signature Site is one of these featured
areas. In addition to its significant geographic, natural and cultural
features, the site has unique tourism and recreation potential. A project
planning team assisted by an advisory committee will work with
the public to develop a signature site strategy that will protect the
area’s special features and promote tourism and recreation.
There will be opportunities for interested parties to participate
throughout the entire process.
Aboriginal or treaty rights will not be affected in any way by the
Woodland Caribou Signature Site initiative.
• Project schedule
“The making of a
Signature Site”
• Woodland Caribou
Signature Site Advisory
Committee
• What’s so special about the
Woodland Caribou
Signature Site?
• Project Planning Team
• How you can get involved

Goal:
To protect, manage and enhance the
natural and cultural ecosystems and
wilderness quality of the Woodland
Caribou Signature Site while allowing
for tourism, recreational and economic
development that will not compromise
the integrity and environmental values
of its ecosystems.
Woodland Caribou Signature Site
Components of the Site
The Woodland Caribou Signature Site is comprised of
Woodland Caribou Provincial Park (450,000 hectares),
four proposed park additions (29,788 hectares), the Eagle
– Snowshoe Conservation Reserve (34,548 hectares), the
Pipestone Bay – MacIntosh Enhanced Management Area
(21,978 hectares) and a forest reserve (255 hectares). At
515,569 hectares in size, the signature site is only slightly
smaller than the province of Prince Edward Island.
The site is adjacent to the municipalities of Red Lake and
Ear Falls and the communities of Grassy Narrows,
Pikangikum and Wabaseemoong. It also makes up part of
the traditional use areas of the Ontario First Nations of
Pikangikum, Wabaseemoong, Grassy Narrows and Little
Grand Rapids First Nation of Manitoba.
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Woodland Caribou Signature Site
Advisory Committee
Musclow
Lake
Sabourin
Lake
Larus
Lake
Enhanced Management Area
(E2359)
Park Additions
An advisory committee has been formed to assist the
project planning team. Representatives from the
parties named below will discuss topics and make
recommendations to the project planning team. The
committee includes representatives from the environment,
First Nations communities, municipalities,
tourism, and industry.
Woodland Caribou Provincial Park
Donald
Lake
Bulging
Lake
Haggart
Lake
Engle-
Snowshoe
Conservation
Reserve
(C2404)
Irregular
Lake
Eagle
Lake
Gammon
Lake
Sydney
Lake
Red
Lake
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Grassy Narrows First Nation
Pikangikum First Nation
Wabaseemoong First Nation
Municipality of Red Lake
Municipality of Ear Falls
Chukuni Communities Development
Corporation
Red Lake Chamber of Commerce
Back Country Tourism
Facility Based Tourism
Environment (Provincial Representative)
Environment (Local Representative)
Red Lake Local Citizens Committee
Kenora Local Citizens Committee
Forestry
Mining
Anglers and Hunters
Project Schedule:
Invitation to Participate, and
Public Inspection of Terms of Reference
December 2002
Public Review of Background Information
June 2003
Public Review of Issues and Alternatives
March 2004
Public Review of Preliminary Strategy
December 2004
Public Inspection of Approved Strategy
April 2005

What’s so special about the Woodland Caribou Signature Site?
It has long been recognized that the area west of Red Lake has characteristics that are unique to Ontario.
As a result, the signature site area and its resources have been under study since the mid 1940’s.
A variety of information is available on the signature site and its resources.
Wilderness
The Woodland Caribou Signature Site is a place of solitude,
where nature still rules. No special effort is required
to observe the natural world. A cow and calf moose feeding
on lush vegetation in a creek, a woodpecker chiselling
out a meal in the backwoods, a wolf calling to its pack or a
herd of caribou making the trek to or from wintering
grounds - all are common experiences here.
Backcountry Recreation
The signature site boasts some of the best remote fishing in
the world, with high quality accommodations at a number of
outpost camps or lodges. For paddlers, there are more than
2,000 km of lakes, rivers and waterways to explore and enjoy.
This unspoiled, boreal landscape allows the visitor to experience
something increasingly hard to find – adventure without
the crowds. Flowing through the northern portion of the
signature site is the Bloodvein River. Designated as a Canadian
Heritage River by the federal and provincial governments, the
Bloodvein exits the site at Artery Lake and continues on into
Manitoba as it makes its way toward Lake Winnipeg. The
Bloodvein River is protected in both provinces by provincial
parks: Atikaki in Manitoba and Woodland Caribou in Ontario.
Flora and Fauna
The signature site is home to many plants and animals:
floating marsh marigold, poison ivy, red pine, bur oak and
prairie spikemoss, as well as wolverine, snapping turtles,
great gray owls and, of course, woodland caribou. Some of
these plants and animals, such as bur oak and snapping
turtles, are at the northern extents of their natural range,
while others, such as prairie spikemoss, are found nowhere
else in Ontario. Some, such as woodland caribou, are listed
as species at risk and are being studied to provide additional
protection.

What’s so special about the Woodland Caribou Signature Site?
Current and Future Uses
Cultural Resources
The Woodland Caribou Signature Site is
a geographic area that has been given
special meaning by the Ojibway people.
First Nations people have occupied this
area for centuries. They have their own
names for places throughout the site and
have left records in the form of pictographs.
Their people are buried here.
Their history of modifying the land has
enabled people to canoe on many rivers
and creeks without the need for
portages. Relying on the land and its
resources, they developed ways (fish
traps) to keep fish fresh throughout the
long winter season.
First Nations people remain on the land to this day, planting
wild rice, hunting, trapping and pursuing traditional
activities. They maintain their connection to the land by
caring for and nurturing it, as they believe this is their
responsibility to future generations.
The Land Use Strategy for Ontario’s Living Legacy has made
certain decisions that will influence the outcome of this planning
exercise.
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Woodland Caribou Provincial Park is designated as a
wilderness class provincial park.
The signature site is made up of a wilderness class provincial
park and proposed wilderness park additions, a
conservation reserve and an enhanced management area.
Each has allowable land uses as identified in the Land Use
Strategy or other policies.
Forestry and hydro development will not be permitted in
the provincial park, in proposed park additions or in the
conservation reserve.
Forestry and mineral exploration and development activities
are permitted within the enhanced management area
of the signature site, subject to forest management planning
and other provincial legislation. Planning for these
activities must take into consideration remote access,
tourism and park values as well as potential impacts on the
headwaters of the Bloodvein River.
Development will be consistent with the policies for each
land use area (park, conservation reserve, enhanced management
area). A park management plan will be developed
for the wilderness park and park additions, a resource
management plan for the conservation reserve, and a management
direction for the enhanced management area.

Project Planning Team
A project planning team of Ontario government
staff will gather and analyze resource information,
manage the planning process, support the
advisory committee and develop planning
options for review and consultation.
How you can get involved
The Woodland Caribou Signature Site project planning
team wants to hear from you. Interested parties are
encouraged to attend the information sessions, submit
ideas, questions or stories, review planning documents,
and monitor the Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR)
registry.
The team will collect comments and information
under the authority of the Provincial Parks Act, the Public
Lands Act and the Environmental Assessment Act. All comments
and information will be used to make decisions
and will assist in determining further public consultation
needs. Comments and opinions will be kept on file for
use during the strategy development process and may be
made available for public review.
Under the Freedom of Information and Protection of
Privacy Act (1987), personal information will remain
confidential unless prior consent is obtained. This information
may be used by the Ministry of Natural
Resources to seek public input on other resource management
surveys and projects. For further information
regarding this act, please contact Lee Gerrish in Red
Lake at (807) 727-1334.
If you want to share information about this area,
have questions or comments, or want to be added to the
mailing list, please contact:
Doug Gilmore, Project Leader
Woodland Caribou Signature Site
Box 5003
Red Lake, ON
P0V 2M0
(807) 727-1336
doug.gilmore@mnr.gov.on.ca
Visit us on the web at www.ontarioslivinglegacy.com
Photography: Pierre Dubé, Richard Fitch,
John Fahlgren, Doug Gilmore, Bill Ringham
Printed on recycled paper
51765
(1.5k P.R., 31 03 03)
ISSN 1705-8147