Riding Mountain National Park

Riding Mountain National Park is a national park in Manitoba, Canada. The park is located within Treaty 2 Territory and sits atop the Manitoba Escarpment. Consisting of a protected area of ,

History

Indigenous peoples

For several thousand years, First Nations peoples have lived in the region. It has been home to the Cree, the Assiniboines, and later to the Ojibwe, the latter of whom still live in the area today.

The Okanese Band, now called the Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation, lived in the area around Wasagaming, in the valley of the Little Saskatchewan River. The band hunted and fished on the land surrounding Clear Lake. They also used the land south-west of the mountain for the buffalo chase and making of pemmican.

After Chief Okanese's death in 1870, his son Mekis became chief. In 1871, Mekis signed Treaty Number 2.

In 1858 Henry Youle Hind, a professor of Biology and Chemistry at the University of Toronto, became one of the first Canadian explorers to reach the area now encompassed by Riding Mountain National Park during his surveying of present-day Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with the aid of several assistants and First Nations peoples.

Park creation

In 1895, of land in Riding Mountain was designated as a timber reserve by the Department of the Interior. The Dominion Forest Reserve Act, passed in 1906, and the Dominion Forest Reserve and Parks Act, passed in 1911, were among the first legally binding protection of the area. In 1906 the superintendent of forestry monitored permits for cutting timber, which were issued only to settlers of the region.

thumb|right|alt=Riding Mountain National Park Interpretive Centre in Wasagaming, built in 1933.|Riding Mountain National Park Interpretive Centre in Wasagaming, built in 1933.

The forest reserve was set aside as a national park in 1929, officially declared Riding Mountain National Park on May 30, 1933. The park opened to visitors on July 26 of that year, with Manitoba Lieutenant-Governor James D. McGregor unveiling a cairn and giving a speech at a dedication ceremony. The Clear Lake site was designated Wasagaming. Much of the public infrastructure in Riding Mountain National Park was created during the 1930s by labourers participating in Canada's Great Depression relief programs. Ten relief camps were supervised by James Wardle. A lot of this early construction survives.

In 1936, the Keeseekoowenin Ojibway Band was forced to leave the park area. The Department of Indian Affairs agreed because living in the rich wilderness was contrary to its concept of assimilation through farm labor. The Keeseekoowenin were forced to watch as park employees burned their homes.

Grey Owl

thumb|right|alt= Grey Owl in a canoe.|Grey Owl in a canoe

In the early days of Riding Mountain National Park, Parks Branch Commissioner James Harkin offered Archibald Belaney (September 18, 1888 – April 13, 1938) a job in the region. Belaney, who adopted the name Grey Owl when he took upon a First Nations identity as an adult, was a writer and became one of Canada's first conservationists. On April 17, 1931, Grey Owl arrived with his two beavers at a secluded lake several kilometres north of Wasagaming which had been selected by the park staff. He spent six months living in a cabin in Riding Mountain National park studying and working with wildlife, including two beavers named Jelly Roll and Rawhide. His main goal in the park was to re-establish beaver colonies in areas where they were exterminated. Riding Mountain National Park was found to be an unsuitable habitat for the beavers, as a summer drought resulted in the lake water level sinking, and becoming stagnant. Both the beavers and Belaney were unhappy with the situation, causing Belaney to search, with the support of the Dominion Parks Branch, for better living conditions. Despite his eventual departure, the park now has an abundant beaver population partially because of his efforts. The decision to have a prisoner of war labour project in Riding Mountain National Park was the result of a fuelwood shortage in the winter of 1942 and 1943. To free up men for the war effort it was decided that prisoners of war would be employed. The camp has since been dismantled.

Land Claims Settlement

In 1896, land adjacent to Clear Lake known as IR 61A was given to the Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation by the Canadian government to protect from encroaching settlement. In 1935, this land was expropriated by the government for the creation of the park. The government evicted Ojibway who were living on the land from within the park boundary and forcibly removed them to the main reserve, IR 61, which was outside of the park boundary. In the Report On The Mediation Of The Keeseekoowenin First Nation 1906 Land Claim Negotiation a study by Stuart Davies of North/South Consultants Inc. is referenced to describe the experience of elders who were evicted. Elders accounts stated that their houses were burnt to the ground and that undue force was used during the eviction. In 1970 Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Anne visited the park during their tour of Manitoba. In the 1990s land removed from the Keeseekoowenin Objiway First Nation in 1930 by the Department of the Interior was returned to them after a land claim.

Geography

Riding Mountain National Park rises more than over the surrounding Manitoba farmland. Riding Mountain is the highest point in the region, bordered by the Manitoba Escarpment in the east, the Valley River and Wilson River in the North, and a valley in the west. Further to the west is the Saskatchewan Plain.

Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve covers 15,000 square kilometers of land in South-western Manitoba, with the core area, Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP), covering nearly 3,000 square kilometers. It is some 300 km northwest of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The local climate is cool and moist due to a higher elevation than the surrounding area. Due to these unique conditions, several different ecosystems are present in the vicinity of the park, including the deciduous forest, boreal forest, and grassland.

Geology

During the last ice age most of the vegetation in the Riding Mountain region was eliminated, and it remained this way after the retreat of the glaciers 12,500 years ago. Around 80 percent of rainfall occurs between the months of April and October, with June being the wettest month of the year. During the winter at an elevation of about 732 meters the mean snowfall is 127 centimetres. At a lower altitude of about 335 meters the snowfall drops to 25.4 centimetres. Common loons and Canada geese are some of Clear Lake's bird inhabitants. In total there have been 233 bird species observed by visitors in this park. The park also boasts one of the largest populations of black bears in North America. The black bear is one of sixty species of mammals inhabiting the forest within this park. Twenty bison were originally reintroduced from Alberta in 1931.

thumb|200px|right|A duck in Clear LakeFreshwater lakes within the park including Clear Lake, Lake Audy, Moon Lake and Whirlpool Lake among others. Walleye, white fish and perch are found in Clear Lake, and a limited number of rainbow and brook trout can be found in Lake Katherine and Deep Lake.

Flora

Riding Mountain National Park is also well known for its wildflowers and wide range of unique vegetation, most of which is not seen anywhere else in the prairie regions of Canada. There are 669 species of plants in the park. Vegetation common to the region includes aspen poplar, balsam poplar, white birch or paper birch, white spruce, balsam fir, jack pine, black spruce, tamarack, American elm, Manitoba maple, and bur oak.

Tourism

Riding Mountain National Park is accessible by car and bus from two municipalities. Dauphin lies 13 kilometres to the north and Brandon lies 95 kilometres to the south, connected by Manitoba Highway 10 with Wasagaming. Both of these cities have commercial airports, as does the community of Erickson. Manitoba Highway 19 enters the park through the escarpment region from the east. A permit is needed to enter Riding Mountain National Park by vehicle, and can be purchased at the park gates. In 1992 the East Entrance was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in recognition of its historic and rustic architectural design. The gate was designed by Canadian architect Shamus Marshall.

Cultural events

Community events held in Wasagaming include the Riding Mountain National Park Film Festival and an annual LGBTQ Pride weekend.

thumb|204x204px|right|Deep Lake

Trails

Riding Mountain National Park has over of trails, with surfaces ranging from being grassy to gravelled. Backpacking trails include Ochre River Trail, South Escarpment Trail, and the Tilson Lake Trail. The Central, Baldy Lake and Strathclair trails are easy cycling trails while the Packhorse, Jet and Baldy Hill trails are more difficult During the winter months trails are open to cross-country skiing, which are not patrolled daily.

thumb|200px|right|Riding Mountain National Park Back Country

Activities

Lakes suitable for swimming include Clear Lake, Lake Katherine, Lake Audy and Moon Lake. Most of the other lakes in the park have muddy bottoms, so swimming is difficult but possible.

Wasagaming campground is a full service campground located near the Wasagaming townsite and Clear Lake. All sites in the Wasagaming campground contain a fire box, picnic table, and access to washrooms at the unserviced camp sites, and full service sites are equipped with all modern amenities including sewer, electricity, water, picnic table, and fire box. Other campgrounds suitable for car camping are located at Lake Audy, Moon Lake and Deep Lake.

Tent camping is available at all campgrounds within the park. Whirlpool Lake campground is designated as a tenting only campground. There are also 22 wilderness campsites located in the back country of the park. These sites are equipped with firewood, pit privies, picnic tables and food storage containers.

Clear Lake Golf Course is within park boundaries along the shores of Clear Lake. The course has received recognition in several North American golf publications. There are six professional tennis courts in the park at the Wasagaming townsite.

Management

National Park

Riding Mountain National Park is managed by the Parks Canada Agency, a branch of the Government of Canada. Over the years an increased emphasis was placed on wilderness conservation and commercial expansion within Riding Mountain National Park was limited. Ongoing research in the park is done concerning predator and ungulate populations, endangered species and invasive species, the water basin, fire reintroduction, and grassland ecology.

Motorized boating is permitted on Clear Lake and Lake Audy. Moon Lake can also be used for boating though equipment must be carried 300 metres. On Whirlpool Lake, Deep Lake, Lake Katherine, and back-country lakes, only non-motorized boats can be used. All personal water crafts are banned within Riding Mountain National Park. The ban is enforced by Parks Canada and the RCMP.

Ice fishing is allowed on Clear Lake during the winter months. Snowmobiling is allowed on Clear Lake for the aforementioned activity only.

All watercraft within the park must undergo inspection for aquatic invasive species. Of particular concern within Riding Mountain National Park is preventing the introduction of zebra mussels to Clear Lake. Upon establishment, the Biosphere Reserve included 18 municipalities, several of which were merged in 2015 as a result of the Manitoba Municipal Amalgamation Act enacted in 2013 by the Manitoba provincial government. A Biosphere Reserve Management Committee (BRMC) was created to oversee the area. Biosphere Reserve land outside of Riding Mountain National Park is both privately and publicly owned and managed.

Indigenous Partnership

In 1998 the Senior Officials Forum Agreement between Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation and Parks Canada Agency was signed. The Coalition of First Nations with Interest in Riding Mountain National Park was established later for dialogue with all First Nations adjacent to the park, consisting of members of treaties 2, 4, and 1. These include Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation, Ebb and Flow First Nation, Waywayseecappo First Nation, Rolling River First Nation, Tootinaowaziibeeng First Nation, Gambler First Nation, and Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation. The coalition entered into an agreement with Parks Canada to share and put ideas into action, creating in 2006 the Riding Mountain Forum.