An initial meeting has been held, a few ideas have been brought forward and some contacts have been made. According to Simon Stower, one of the initiators of the movement, the idea started after a conversation that indicated there was a need.
“I ran into Pauline Nadlersmith and we were discussing the canoe trails and walking trails,” Stower explained, “things in the Turtle Mountain Provincial Park and the Peace Garden that were getting dilapidated. We thought maybe we would talk to people in the Park and the Peace Garden about what we could do to help.”
Speaking with a Manitoba Conservation official, Stower said he was told there were often groups set up to help with parks, like the Friends of Spruce Woods.
“They help with funding, keeping up the snow trails, canoe trails. So we wanted to see if people were interested in that.”
A public meeting was held at 1894 Art Centre on June 28. Stower said there was a good response to the get together, with about ten showing up. The crowd ranged from cabin owners at Lake Bower to people who simply used the amenities of the area.
“Everyone wanted in,” he said. “People wanted to be involved, to give their time.”
So far, they have identified a few areas in and around the Park they would like to give some attention to. There are the canoe and walking trails that need some work, including the Oskar Lake Trail. They would like to clean up the rustic campgrounds, take on the overgrown trails to the James Lake Cabin. Also, Stower said they would eventually like to get ahold of a snow groomer, to keep the trails open in both the Park and the Peace Garden.
Although the Park and Garden were named as two places, they are not necessarily limited there. Stower said the entire Turtle Mountain area could be part of their mandate.
They are very early in their work, and they are still getting everything moving. Part of the task is to make contact with others. Stower said he had a meeting with people from the Park to discuss developments further. They also wanted to talk to the Turtle Mountain Wildlife Association. Stower said that group recently put a new dock at the Boissevain Reservoir. This is the kind of model they would like to follow and perhaps the two groups could work together or even combine.
The group would also like to get a little more promotion together for the Park and Garden to help bring more people to visit.
As for money, there is a possibility of help from an oil company. Stower said they have heard that Tundra has resources to donate to the Park due to an abandoned well, and there needs to be a formal group to give it to. He said contacting Tundra to check it out is one of their early priorities.
“This is very early, just the development stage. We want to bring in the Wildlife group, the Development Corporation, maybe even Travel Manitoba.”
Eventually, Stower would like to step back from his leadership role and simply volunteer on projects. For now, they are trying to get things going to help protect and improve a very important part of the local landscape, and involve as many people as possible.
“Absolutely, we want all nature loving people involved,” Stower stated. “Hunters, fishermen, people using the Park. We’re trying to get enough people on board to start a non-profit, to raise money and donate time. We want to improve the existing infrastructure within the Turtle Mountain Provincial Park and Peace Garden. That’s our goal and it takes a bit of time to get going.”
“We want to bring more people to the Turtle Mountains. It’s a real slice of beauty there.”
by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff