The Quetico Park Management Plan Review is underway. This critical process will plot the future of Quetico Provincial Park for decades to come. The draft Terms of Reference released in July named The Quetico Foundation to the Advisory Group for the project.

This review is one of the most important tasks the Foundation will undertake and is at the core of our purpose. The Foundation has created a three-person Plan Review Committee led by Trustee and Chair of the Liaison Committee, Cam Clark. In representing the “Foundation’s interests, our Review Committee will be relying on the input of the broader team - all Foundation Trustees and concerned members of the public.

The Plan Review is complex and must consider many issues from economic development in the surrounding area to invasive species within the Park. Simultaneously, it must align itself with policies and regulations imposed upon it by three levels of government.

The Terms of Reference are being refined following the September 15, 2006 deadline for comment. They can be reviewed at http://www.ontarioparks.ca/english/quet_planning.html.

The Foundation’s response focused on ensuring that the review was comprehensive, specifically requesting the inclusion of the following in the review process:
- The greater parks ecosystem
- Connectivity between the parks in the Quetico region
- Proposed hydroelectric development on the Namakan river
- Forest management activities outside of the Park
- Motorized guiding
- Scientific research
- Park use and capacity issues
- Aircraft activity

The real discussion is starting this Fall. We will have no right to complain after the fact if we do not participate fully in the process now. Please review the Foundation’s complete response to the Terms of Reference and follow progress on the Master Plan Review process here on our website. Send your submissions, comments or questions to Glenda McLachlan in our office. Please support The Foundation’s raison d’etre -“the preservation of wilderness!”

Arthur Saunders, Trustee

Can you recall that feeling when you’re paddling up to the rim of fast moving water? The surface you are on is still, but just a bit ahead the water is starting to swirl. Already the under-currents are grabbing the bottom of the canoe and bringing the water to life. You can still control the boat but you need to keep your wits about you because with a few awkward strokes you could loose that canoe.

Well, that’s a bit how the 2009 Quetico Park Centennial feels…..just starting to grab on but almost imperceptibly. Pulling us forward is the new Management Planning Process - now underway. New research projects suggest rocks beneath the surface. A third vector is the call of history from the 2007 Bi-Centennial of voyageur cartographer David Thompson. And then there is the artistic lineage with the recent news that one of Paul Kane’s early voyageur paintings was actually done in Quetico. Then there are the many ‘burning issues’ ranging from managing last summer’s very active fire season to anticipating how climate change may reshape this forest.

Needless to say, so many currents, spreading in different directions with the odd whirlpool make it difficult to seize all of the moments and make the best of every opportunity. The Ontario Parks program has evolved to address most of Quetico’s needs but like any large organization it can be slow to react to changing currents…….it goes straight and sure. Sometimes though, you really need a canoe with a lot of ‘rocker’ that can quickly pivot into a new and unforeseen channel.

The Quetico Foundation has proven to be such a craft. The Foundation has probed many pools. Our resource library, books and pamphlets, voyageur canoes and a sustained research program are all past legacies of the Foundation’s efforts. Recent items include a research assistant, an art studio and an evolving school program. Underlying many of these specific ventures are the intangible benefits from the Foundation’s role in shaping policy, providing guidance and conducting advocacy.

Quetico offers innumerable potential routes and it is through the unwavering support of many people and organizations that the challenging trip continues to be valuable and fulfilling.

This summer marked the launch of the Quetico Foundation’s Ridley Wilderness Youth Program. The Program is supported through a generous donation to the Foundation from the Estate of Norma Ridley, widow of one of the Foundation’s founders, Jack Ridley.

Pristine wilderness, like Quetico, is one of the defining characteristics of Canada. Unfortunately, the makeup of visitors to Quetico and other wilderness parks is not reflective of the multicultural face of Canada. The Program is designed to introduce a broad spectrum of Canadian youths, our future business and political leaders, to the wilderness experience and the value of our natural environment. The Foundation has been working with Agincourt Collegiate Institute, a high school in the Toronto District School Board, to give a group of students enrolled in an Interdisciplinary Studies course: Environmental Leadership and Outdoor Education, the opportunity to take a week long canoe trip in Quetico Park at the end of their course. The school population of Agincourt CI, where the first language of more than two thirds of the students is other than English, is truly representative of the Canadian cultural mosaic.

The somewhat inaptly named “dry run” trip to introduce key TDSB staff to Quetico put in at the Beaver House entry point on August 25th. Trustee, Jim Douglas, and his wife, Judy Haladay, were joined on the trip by Mark Whitcombe, Program Co-ordinator of Outdoor Education for the TDSB, Lesley McLean, teacher of Agincourt CI’s interdisciplinary course, Pete Hitchock, Outdoor Specialist at TDSB’s Scarborough Outdoor Education School (SOES), Len Elphick, Outdoor Education Teacher at SOES, Tamara van Dyk, Natural Heritage Education Leader for Quetico Provincial Park and Adam Hoult, a student in recreational studies at Seneca College. Canoe Canada in Atikokan assisted with the trip planning, outfitted the dry run trip and are already planning for the arrival of the first group of students in September 2007.

Quetico pulled out all the stops for the TDSB folks. The weather was warm and sunny, the wind was at the paddlers’ backs and the fish were biting. If there were any lingering doubts about Quetico as an appropriate wilderness destination for TDSB students, those were dispelled by a magical night on Jesse Lake. Mark Whitcombe paddled out on a calm lake as the sun was settling with a sliver of a moon in the sky and began playing his tin flute. To everyone’s wonder and amazement, his music set off a chorus of wolf howls from separate packs on either side of the lake. The serenade continued until darkness fell.

The group took out at Nym Lake on August 29th. Lesley, Mark and Jim met with Robin Reilly, Superintendent of the Park that afternoon and with both the Atikokan Town Council and staff of Atikokan High School and their ‘Outers’ Program on the morning of August 30th. All expressed enthusiastic support and encouragement for the Program. The Foundation and the TDSB hope to broaden the program in the future, providing students in other TDSB schools with the opportunity to appreciate the wilderness environment and to hear the wolves sing!

Jim Douglas, Trustee

I dip my paddle into the cool water and let the wind blow through my hair. Waves splashing on the rocky shoreline replace the sound of ringing phones and passing vehicles. My feet no longer meet pavement but soft earth and roots. My thoughts linger on deadlines and worries of the future until I realize, with a grateful sense of relief that they are of little consequence here. Ten minutes of paddling down the lake and I suddenly feel incredibly free. I’m in Quetico Provincial Park, and I focus on the present: the smiling, bronzed faces of my co-workers, majestic lakeside pines whispering in the breeze and loon calls from somewhere off in the distance. The sights, smells and sounds all but overwhelm my senses, and I cannot wait to experience the adventures this job has in store for me...
My name is Christopher Martin and I have worked with The Quetico Foundation for 6 consecutive summers (2001-2006). I was born and raised in Atikokan and am the fourth in a family of five children. Having been incredibly fascinated by animals since a very young age, I have chosen to make a career of zoology, recently completing my Honours BSc. and now pursuing my Masters. Employment with The Quetico Foundation- 5 years with the Summer Student Research Program and this past summer as Assistant to the Park Biologist - offered me a means to study and experience this idyllic wilderness Park. I was truly ecstatic when ‘Sarge’ (William B. Sargant), then the Executive Director, phoned me that spring evening 6 years ago, telling me I was hired.
I have benefited from this job in many ways. Through managing finances, borrowing expensive research and camping equipment and collecting accurate ecological information in the field, I have gained a strong sense of responsibility. Directing co-workers, making decisions and working together with community businesses has made me more bold and out-going. In being responsible for the health and well-being of others in remote wilderness settings, I’ve become more prudent and cautious. Working and living alongside others in physically and mentally challenging environments has taught me patience and empathy. In learning, teaching and practicing ecology and natural history, I have gained a broad understanding of and deep respect for Quetico’s wilderness. I have developed field data collection skills and taken part in the human endeavor to understand, manage and conserve our protected areas- knowledge I will always value. This job has challenged my intellectual, emotional and physical self.
My experiences have also taught me life lessons I will live by. Be very open to, yet discerning with advice, and understand the motivation behind suggestions. Do not rely on good references and compliments of the past to speak for you in the present or future. Remain consistent and self-disciplined - you will respect yourself for it. Discipline and direct others in fairness - they will respect you in the end. Accept responsibility confidently, swallow your fear and admit your mistakes. And, lastly, if you perform and reason to the best of your ability, you need feel no guilt, no matter the outcome.
Working for The Quetico Foundation has had a huge influence on my life and I hope I’ve given something back. I hope the information I’ve collected is used to improve our understanding and management of Quetico, other protected areas, and wilderness in general. I trust I’ve represented The Quetico Foundation well through conversations with campers and partners in business. I hope I have furthered the goal to protect, appreciate and respect Canada’s wilderness. I hope I’ve inspired others to change, speak out or drive to succeed. I hope I have been a positive influence on others and on Quetico Provincial Park.
Thanks for the incredible summers. I guess it never is a sure goodbye from one canoeist to another, so rather I’ll say, “Dig in your heels, push hard on the hills, remember to pause amidst your pain and discomfort to watch the morning dew drop from the leaves, and I’ll see you at the other end of the portage.”

Chris Martin, Summer Student

(Chris has made an enormous contribution to our summer program over the years. We are very proud to say that Chris was the University of Guelph’s recipient of the Governor General’s Silver Medal Award in the spring. We expect he will continue to be a significant contributor in the field of wilderness ecology and zoology for years to come.)

Algonquin Park was home to the Group of 7. The stark landscape of the far north has been beautifully portrayed by native and non native artists for decades. The vast white rocks of Killarney have been a favourite setting for many wilderness artists. Few artists however have chosen Quetico for their backdrop, although in recent weeks it was discovered that a famous landscape by Paul Kane was indeed of the French River in Quetico Park. Encouraging artistic rendition of the pristine wilderness beauty of Quetico Provincial Park is one more way of furthering broader awareness of the wilderness values of the Park.

A now vacant old pump house on the shore of French Lake has presented itself as an ideal temporary residence for visiting artists. George Fells, a former Chair of the Foundation led a successful campaign this summer raising $5000. from 10 individuals to cover the requisite renovation costs to make the pump house inhabitable. The Artists Cabin is now almost complete thanks to the labour of local volunteers and Park staff. Three local artists have already expressed an interest in taking up residency for a period of a few weeks in order to immerse themselves in the wilderness of the Park and recreate its beauty in their medium of choice. The project hopes to attract visiting artists from across the Province, who in exchange for the opportunity will be asked to donate a piece of their ‘Quetico’ art to the Foundation for auctioning at our Annual Dinner.

We expect to have our first ‘artist in residence’ by the spring of 2007!

The Foundation’s Summer Student Research Program celebrated its 10th Anniversary this summer with an outstanding season - perfect weather, an exceptional team, solid research results, and adventure!

Jeremy Martin, a 4th year veteran of the Program led our team comprised of 2 returning university students Alison Smith and Marlys Niskanen, Noah Johnson an outdoor education student from Rainy River College in Minnesota, and 2 Atikokan High School students, Todd Burton and Lis Boileau.

The research protocol established by Trustee, Dr. Roger Suffling of the University of Waterloo involved: a forest fire and logging history survey along, including vegetation identification, tree core sampling, plot investigation and sapling collection – all along 66 1km transects through the forest; a shoreline photo survey of 3200 photos ; historical photo replications; and, a lake outlet survey of 21 lakes, involving water level measurement, impoundment assessment and outlet sketching. The team spent much of the summer in remote areas of the Park, not studied in previous years, involving significant travel adventures by canoe, towing and seaplane.

A special thanks is extended to all of our Summer Student Program sponsors, as well as all those in Atikokan who made our Program possible this summer, including Souris River Canoes, the Atikokan High School Outers Program, Canoe Canada Outfitters, Atikokan Aero Service, Zup’s Resort, Andrea Allison of the John B. Ridley Research Library, Ontario Parks and all the Quetico Park staff. Thoughts of one of our students captures what proved to be a great summer:

"It really was one of the best summers of my life. Even if I hadn't have loved the work, the rest of the team would have made the whole summer worthwhile. I don't think a funnier, more enthusiastic, hardworking group of people could be found anywhere. I loved coming back to camp to their smiling faces, excited to regale them with stories of my day, and in turn hear the events of theirs. Our last couple of nights we slept out under the stars, talking about UFO's, planes, shooting stars and everything else contained in our vast universe. The next morning was full of ‘lasts.’ Our last time packing up, our last time eating English muffins and oatmeal, our last lake, the last time to call or hear called "hut," our last portage and finally our last wait for a Canoe Canada pick- Our summer was over. It was time to go back to our lives. It was hard to say goodbye to the people who I'd spent 35 days with and lived as a tight-knit family unit. I hope this helps to give you a little glimpse into the paradise I called my home this summer.”

Glenda McLachlan, Executive Director; Lis Boileau, Summer Student

One of the new programs launched by the Foundation in 2006, in thanks to the Margery J. Warren bequest to the Foundation, was the hiring of a summer student as a research assistant to the Park Biologist. The program was successfully piloted by Chris Martin, a seasoned veteran of the Summer Student Research Program, a recent science graduate and a resident of Atikokan who worked with the Park Biologist on a variety of natural resource management projects.

Although the goal of wilderness parks is to allow the “forces of nature to function freely”, this actually requires a lot of management! The park must balance social, economic and ecological considerations when making resource management decisions, and we must monitor the results of our actions. Chris was involved in a number of projects this year that directly contribute to the management of Quetico:

Quetico Park appreciates the support of The Quetico Foundation for this new program, and hopes that it will continue in the future.

Lisa Solomon, Quetico Park Biologist

2006 Annual Dinner – As this newsletter goes to print, we are also preparing for our Annual Dinner on October 18th in Toronto. We are expecting over 100 wilderness enthusiasts to grace the halls of the Ontario Club and hear our distinguished guest speaker Wendy Grater, Owner, Black Feather Wilderness Adventure Company, share with us some of the stories and images of her adventures by canoe, kayak and hike. Langford Canoe has generously supported our canoe raffle this year and our silent auction will be featuring over half a dozen outstanding wilderness adventure holidays! We hope to see you there!