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Campsite and Visitor Survey - 2001 Lake Temagami and Vicinity |
Unmaintained makeshift privy within a metre of Kokoko Lake. Photo: Ian Huggett
Survey Area . Lake Temagami . Kokoko Lake . Cross Lake . Wasaksina Lake . Driftwood Lake . Iceland Lake . north Obabika Lake . Bob Lake . Diamond Lake . Wakimika Lake . Lady Evelyn Lake south end
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Last summer 348 campsites were evaluated and an informal visitor survey done on Lake Temagami and some immediately surrounding lakes. The picture the report paints is unpleasant. Congestion is up. Noise is up. There are illegal squatters on campsites. Houseboats and personal watercraft (PWC) use is growing and conflicting with traditional use. Privies are overflowing. Toilet paper is strewn over campsites. Campsites are being loved to death.
The youth camps on the lake have been doing campsite cleanups since 1956 on a small scale. But their ability to keep up was long ago exceeded. In 1977, an MNR canoe-routes-maintenance program was launched with Hap Wilson as its first manager. Part of its responsibility was to watch for infractions, and monitor and clean up campsites. That program closed about 1991. Then MNR closed its Temagami office in 1996 and downsized, ending virtually all field programs. There has been nothing comparable in place since. With increased traffic, the recreational carrying capacity in and around Lake Temagami has been grossly exceeded and immediate intervention is needed to prevent further deterioration. Some recommendations of the survey, undertaken by Ian Huggett for Temagami Lakes Association and Temagami Region Studies Institute: . Close 12% of campsites that have been overused . Undertake regular maintenance of privies, new privy construction . Perform public education . Set rules to protect sensitive campsites and reduce crowding . Collect user fees to support maintenance . Regulate houseboats |
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