An interim management statement is prepared for each newly regulated and recommended park to guide the management of the property until a park management plan is in place. The interim statement provides a means to protect park values and control park uses while the formal management plan is being prepared.

Park Management Plan

A park management plan describes what will happen inside a park over a 20 year period. It clearly states the goals and objectives of the park and its role in the larger provincial parks system. During the preparation of the plan, other approaches to resource management, development and operations may be considered and a preferred alternative identified.

Management plans are prepared by an Ontario Parks Team with input from the public. They are based on information collected by many sources including biologists, foresters, geologists, archeologists, historians, other resource scientists and managers, and the public. When issues are complex, the team may be assisted by a steering committee made up of Ministry of Natural Resources staff, with the assistance of other individuals, groups and agencies. In very complex cases, public advisory committees may be established to help resolve issues.

There may be up to seven stages in the production of a park management plan, and they may vary from park to park, depending on the significance of park values and the complexity of issues raised. Some stages may be combined in the case of a simple, straightforward plan. For all plans, public participation is encouraged from the start and continues throughout the process.

Implementation Plans

For certain activities, more detailed planning and direction are needed than the park management plan can provide, and so a secondary level of planning is required. In these cases, staff relies on the park management plan to provide general direction, while the details are provided through the use of implementation plans. Implementation plans can be prepared to assist with park resource management, operations and development.

Resource Management Plans provide direction for:

Heritage Values: rocks, fossils, landforms, plants, animals, ecosystems, sacred places and historical sites.

Recreational Values: backcountry, trails, campsites, canoe routes, beaches, vistas and boating.

Research: Visitor surveys, carrying capacity, data collection, scientific research.

Operating plans provide direction for:

Visitor Services: public information needs, education, interpretive themes, recreation skills programs.

Recreation Activities: user quotas, permitted uses, activity restrictions.

Commercial Tourism: lodges, outpost camps, roofed accommodation, concessions, outfitting, access to resources.

Marketing: park promotion, market research, user surveys, merchandising.

Development plans provide direction for:

Buildings and Facilities: design, engineering, materials.

Utilities: electrical, water, sewage, solid waste disposal.

Site Planning: location, esthetics, landscaping, aggregates, access (roads, paths, trails).