Cochrane steps in to save park: Polar bear initiative drives town to sustain accommodations. (Timmins and Cochrane).The Town of Cochrane has taken Greenwater Provincial Park A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park under the management of a provincial or territrorial government in Canada. While provincial parks are not the same as national parks, their workings are very similar. underits wing in an effort to sustain accommodations for tourists, should the town's plans to attract a major tourist attraction Noun 1. tourist attraction - a characteristic that attracts tourists attractive feature, magnet, attractor, attracter, attraction - a characteristic that provides pleasure and attracts; "flowers are an attractor for bees" pan out. When the province announced the imminent closure of the provincial park earlier this year, the Cochrane Community Business Development Corp. (CDC See Control Data, century date change and Back Orifice. CDC - Control Data Corporation ) presented a proposal to manage the park. The CDC took over the management of the park prior to the summer season, says J.P. Quellette, community development manager for the CDC. "The park was due to be closed because the province did not see it as being profitable," Quellette says. "(The CDC and its partners) were able to run it at a profit this year, about $10,000 to $15,000, and the park has never made a profit," Ouellette says. "It's probably run at a loss of $10,000 to $15,000 each year." The CDC partnered. with Tembec, North' Claybelt Business Development Corp. and the Ministry of Natural Resources to launch a large-scale program to continue maintainenance of the park, ensure it is viable and expand on ecotourism-type initiatives, he adds. Among proposals for the park is the development of an interior campground. This concept builds on the attributes of the park, which is surrounded by unique vistas and has a waterfall within the park. Profits generated from the 2001 season will be reinvested in the park to enhance existing features, including the renovation of the gatehouse and completion of work on the water distribution system. The park, with about 36 serviced sites and 100 non-electrical sites, attracts many visitors from southern and eastern Ontario Eastern Ontario is the region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers. It shares water boundaries with Quebec, to the north and New York State to south. Population: 1,392,346 (2001), est. annually. An investments in greater signage was made this' summer, and the park is now being marketed through the Town of Cochrane Web site. The park is located on Highway 11, west of Cochrane, between Cochrane and Smooth Rock Falls Rock Falls, city (1990 pop. 9,654), Whiteside co., NW Ill., on the Rock River opposite Sterling; inc. 1867. It is an industrial center in a farm region with corn, soybeans, cattle, and hogs. Electronic equipment, feeds, and plastics are manufactured. . The CDC is gearing up to launch a marketing program for Greenwater Park, in conjunction with other provincial parks. The CDC has asked the province to renew the management agreement for the next five years. Cochrane has been striving to attract a major tourist attraction, the Polar Bear polar bear, large white bear, Ursus maritimus, formerly Thalarctos maritimus, of the coasts of arctic North America. Polar bears usually live on drifting pack ice, but sometimes wander long distances inland. Conservation and Educational Habitat, for the past three years. "We heard Greenwater was going to close, and we'd be losing a hospitality venue, a facility to accommodate tourists," Ouellette says. "That was our initial motivation (in keeping the provincial park afloat)." The proposed facility would be a tourist attraction and a scientific research facility where the behaviours of the polar bear would be studied. The town has applied to both federal and provincial governments for funding for the facility, which is projected to cost about $4.5 million. They anticipate receiving the announcement for funding by the end of the year. An application for $2 million from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund is a division of the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines in the Canadian province of Ontario, whose purpose is to provide funding and program support to foster economic development in the economically disadvantaged Northern Ontario region. and $1.2 million from the federal government has been made, and the intent is to secure the remainder of the funding for the facility from the private sector, Quellete says. The Metro Toronto Zoo The Toronto Zoo is a zoo located in the north eastern part of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It opened in 1974 as the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo and is owned by the City of Toronto; the word 'Metropolitan' was dropped from its name when the cities of the Municipality of facilitated the design of the proposed facility and will be involved in the handling of the polar bears. The project is part of the James Bay James Bay, shallow southern arm of Hudson Bay, c.300 mi (480 km) long and 140 mi (230 km) wide, E central Canada, in Nunavut Territory between Ont. and Que. Numerous rivers flow into the bay; many of these have been developed for hydroelectric power in Quebec (see Superior Initiative, a collaborative effort of community partners aiming to creating attractions along the Highway 11 corridor. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion