Hey, so db started this thread about the new Quetico Preliminary Management Plan:   (You need to Login or Register

If you go to the link he's got there, look for:
2013
Preliminary Management Plan - PDF

I browsed over the whole thing & it looks like it's pretty low-impact to any of us using the park:
- camping remains the same (mostly)*
- fishing remains the same (still no live bait, barbless)

* There seems to be one exception, in that a "Nature Reserve" zone will disallow camping in this area:
(am I right about that?) -- see p 24
Provincially rare basic cliff communities are found along the following lakes: Blackstone (1), Other Man (3), Ottertrack (10), This Man (3), Littlerock (2), Emerald (12), Fisher (1), Sheridan (1) and on a tributary of the Wawiag River. The Basic Open Cliff Type is provincially rare and ranked S3S4 (Bakowsky 2002). This zone is delineated as all of the cliff faces on the listed lakes.
...
Rock climbing and scrambling, back country camping, and mechanized travel are not permitted in nature reserve ones. Existing campsites in nature reserve zones will be closed and rehabilitated. Commercial trapping in NR zones by Lac La Croix trappers is permitted.

I'd like to see if others (perhaps more familiar with pervious versions of this plan than I) see the same things...

-Tom

East side entry.  I have walked the portage in it is about 1 mile.
Toilets on some sights.
Are the cliff communities human or plant?
 McKenzie Lake fire tower removal

With over a month left to care, I was hoping more folks would highlight any concerns they may have so I could read it with different points of skew than my own in mind.

By notifying me of this public comment period window of opportunity - they were asking for YOUR input - as am I.

Anyone else?

I wouldn't want the east side of Q any easier to access than it already is. I think it's nice to have a section that's difficult to get to.

I briefly read some of the doc, but would like to add to my post.

pg 15 shows how many people enter and where. Seems very few people go to the trouble of entering from the Cdn side. So more people entering the east side wouldn't seem to be much of a problem as far as solitude.

pg 23-24 Go into the Nature Reserves and sounds like some hiking would be allowed but no camping.
NR1 is the Wawiag flood plain
NR2 Affects lakes up and down the Knife lake area

pg 19 mentions installing thunder boxes for some high use campsites near entry points

That's enough for me now, finish reading it later

The Tower (and other artifacts) don't bother me so much. It's a history of the park. If the park ever feels it's unsafe, then it should come down.

I gave up waiting for the "plan" to load on a bad connection so have a question for those who've read it....is the "plan" suggesting that there will not be camping sites on the Man Chain and Blackstone?  Or is it just the areas that are adjacent to the pristine rock cliff environments they want to safe-guard?

As they have kicked the trappers out the portages that they have maintained for years will close up.  I have found and used several of those portages and think they add to the park.  Trapping should continue.

My reading of it is that campsites will be closed only in the areas shaded on the map, which are small sections of the shoreline of the mentioned lakes. Unfortunately it looks to include my favorite site on Emerald.

Magicpaddler wrote on Oct 18^th, 2013 at 5:27pm:

As they have kicked the trappers out, the portages that they have maintained for years will close up.  I have found and used several of those portages and think they add to the park.  Trapping should continue.

My reading of 7.9 Wildlife Management pg 37, sounds like the none LLCFN native trappers lose their traplines but the traplines can be tranfered to LLCFN natives. No?

middle pg 28 says they don't plan a new east entry into the park. They site several reasons but sounds like maintaining the road is the biggest issue. Plus the lack of use of the existing northern entry points.

All in all, not many changes. They were moving the Mack Lake Fly-in entry to another lake nearby, but it seemed the qouta stayed the same.

I wasn't aware there was so much trapping in Q, even though I've run across their trapping materials, even boats, stashed at lakes. Sounds like they're allowed some discreetly placed cabins too.

intrepid_camper wrote on Oct 18^th, 2013 at 5:20pm:

I gave up waiting for the "plan" to load on a bad connection so have a question for those who've read it....is the "plan" suggesting that there will not be camping sites on the Man Chain and Blackstone?  Or is it just the areas that are adjacent to the pristine rock cliff environments they want to safe-guard?

I_C My post yesterday was wrong to mention Knife. I'm not very familiar with that part of the Q. I've never been in through PP or Cache, maybe someday.

I should have said Blackstone, Other Man, Ottertrack, This Man, Littlerock, Emerald, Fisher, and Sheldan.

I_C:

It's not entirely clear from the maps what lakes are impacted by the NR2 Cliff Communities designation and to what extent. I suspect that those parts of the adjoining lakes where there are actual cliffs will be included in the Nature Reserve Zone and the rest of the shoreline of those lakes will be excluded. Since it is unlikely there are very many (or any) sites on those lakes right at the cliffs, I can't imagine that campsites would be affected to any great extent.

That's speculation on my part; maybe some one else has spoken with Quetico Park staff about this and can correct me if I'm wrong.

Phoenix wrote on Oct 19^th, 2013 at 8:27pm:

I_C: It's not entirely clear from the maps what lakes are impacted by the NR2 Cliff Communities designation and to what extent. I suspect that those parts of the adjoining lakes where there are actual cliffs will be included in the Nature Reserve Zone and the rest of the shoreline of those lakes will be excluded. Since it is unlikely there are very many (or any) sites on those lakes right at the cliffs, I can't imagine that campsites would be affected to any great extent. That's speculation on my part; maybe some one else has spoken with Quetico Park staff about this and can correct me if I'm wrong.

The map on  page 26 shows  what areas will be designated cliff communities (shaded dark purple on the map)

The main gist I get from reading is everyone basically seems happy with the status quo and while there are things they'd like to do, they don't have the funds to do them.

As far as the traplines "Steps are underway to transfer these [4] traplines to licenced members of Lac La Croix." I use to have a map. Maybe it was in an old printed plan but don't recall seeing 18 on it. There is something else that goes along with that and that is motorized guiding. When I talked to Jay Leather back in the 90's when he was the super about that, I got the impression that the sunset on guiding would be due to attrition and lack of interest. I'd also assume nothing is carved in stone as per their agreement.

I don't understand the cliff communities NR2 zone designation. I've never been down there but/so I kinda agreed with Phoenix until I read this:
"Rock climbing and scrambling, back country camping, and mechanized travel are not permitted in nature reserve zones. Existing campsites in nature reserve zones will be closed and rehabilitated. Commercial trapping in NR zones by Lac La Croix trappers is permitted."

Assuming those purple dots on the map are locations of designated rare cliff communities (and the white boxes are not trapping  cabins) I could see a few campsites being closed but not all on every lake within the shape that's crudely drawn.

For that matter, they shouldn't have marked them. Some of us curious types have big feet.

I found an area on a lake once that had flagging tape. So of course I got out to see why. On the tape it said Quetico foundation so I paddled away not wanting to disturb anything. I asked but never heard back what it was they were marking.

The comment period lasts until November 29th.