By Sarah Klein
Aerial view of Duck Mountain Provincial Park (RYAN K. BROOK PHOTO)
The Manitoba government is spending $2.4 million to improve amenities and services in Duck Mountain Provincial Park.
By the end of this year, the park will see construction of a new, modern washroom building and playground in the day use area at Blue Lake campground and a new waste-transfer station at Shilladay Lake.
By 2020, the park will see ATV trail upgrades to improve water crossings and trail routing on the Mossberry Lake Trail, refurbishment of the main dock used by cottagers at Wellman Lake, new campground offices at Blue Lake and Childs Lake, additional campsite electrification at the Blue Lake campground and construction of new waste transfer stations at Wellman and Whitefish lakes.
“While modern and green park infrastructure improves the park experience for families, it also makes the park more environmentally friendly to our lakes and rivers,” said Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh. “These long-term capital investments will improve the park for users and make a real difference to the environment.”
The Wilderness Committee was quick to fire back at the announcement, saying it failed to address the biggest threat to the park — industrial logging.
“Logging does not belong in Manitoba’s provincial parks,” said Eric Reder, campaign director for the Wilderness Committee. “Manitobans are overwhelmingly against logging in provincial parks, and the Manitoba government has acknowledged this.”
