Section 4.4 of the cottage lot policy outlines the requirement to remove all non-native and invasive species from your cottage lot. During the 2015 cottage lot inventory, the Ministry documented the incidence of any invasive plant species located on each cottage lot as well as the presence of other non-native species in flower beds or simply in the ground. A summary of these findings were provided to you in your initial package which was mailed in October, 2016 within the document titled “Summary of Findings”. This information will also be provided in a letter of direction, which will be sent to you in the early spring of 2017 after the Ministry has received your application for 2022 occupational authority.
Cottagers will be required to remove (on their own) or work with the Ministry to have all species of plants not native to the park removed from their cottage lot. This will include plants in hanging baskets, planters, window boxes, flower beds etc. Cottagers may plant species of plants that are native to the park so long as the plants (and/or their seeds) originate from local suppliers or seed stock. Species of plants considered native to the park are those identified as native within the Checklist of the Vascular Plant of Algonquin Provincial Park.
The Ministry has prepared a separate Invasive Species Factsheet on the toolkit. This fact sheet provides information on why the Ministry is concerned with invasive and non-native species, and provides information on the identification of some of the more significant invasive species. It also outlines methods for the removal of invasive species from your cottage lot.