Westmeath Provincial Park

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Coordinates: 45°47′42″N 76°54′35″W / 45.795, -76.90972

Westmeath Provincial Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Location Ottawa River
Nearest city Pembroke, Ontario
Coordinates 45°47′42″N 76°54′35″W / 45.795, -76.90972
Area 610 ha
Governing body Ontario Parks

Westmeath Provincial Park is a provincial park on the Ottawa River in Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Located on the section of the river known as Bellows Bay, it features a long sandy beach and an active sandspit.

As a non-operating park, the park has no facilities and overnight camping is not permitted. Unlike most Ontario provincial parks, where hunting and possession of firearms are prohibited, waterfowl hunting is allowed within the park.

Contents

[edit] Ecology

The park is home to 300 plant species, including 10 which are provincially or regionally rare, as well as prehistoric sand dunes. The Bellows Bay portion is home to the spiny softshell turtle and the map turtle.[1] The spiny softshell is designated as "Threatened" under the Canadian Species At Risk Act[2], while the map turtle is designated as "Special Concern"[3].

Illegal all-terrain vehicle use in the park constitutes an ongoing threat to its ecosystem.[4]

[edit] History

Before its opening in 1991, the Federation of Ontario Naturalists pushed for the park to be designated as "Nature Reserve", which would give it maximum ecological protection and minimal human use.[5] Ultimately, the Ministry of Natural Resources gave it the "Natural Environment" classification, which allowed for hunting, swimming and a proposed parking lot. Under the management plan, 47% of the park area is designated as "Nature Reserve".[6]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Champagne, Anne. "Park needs protection", Ottawa Citizen, 10 Dec 1989, p. A8. 
  2. ^ Spiny Softshell
  3. ^ Northern Map Turtle
  4. ^ Huggett, Ian. "Thoughtless ATV owners wreak havoc on urban nature zones", The Ottawa Citizen, 8 Apr 2002, p. B4. 
  5. ^ "Objections may delay park", The Ottawa Citizen, 12 Dec 1989, p. B2. 
  6. ^ Pappin, C.B.. "Westmeath park planned to please hunters, swimmers and naturalists", The Ottawa Citizen, 15 Aug 1989. 

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Protected areas in Ontario
National parks
Provincial parks
Conservation areas
UNESCO Biosphere Reserves
National Historic Sites
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