Sand, gravel or any other fill material represent a significant risk for the introduction of invasive species to Algonquin. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to find clean (seed and plant free) fill. For this reason, the Ministry may recommend that you use existing material on site and permit you to re-grade the surrounding area to fill the holes. During the initial site visit cottage program staff will assess your site and advise if you will be able to do this rather than having to import fill. For this reason it is important to request a site meeting with the cottage lot program during the planning stage for any structure removal so that these type of considerations can be explored.
If fill does have to be brought in, sand and coarse gravel tend to have fewer seeds and plants in them and are the most appropriate types of fill to use for backfilling holes created from removing structures, footings and septic systems. There is no one place where you must obtain your fill, however, it cannot be sourced from within the park (other than re-grading discussed above). You will need to purchase it from a pit, quarry, landscape supplier or other supplier. When you are sourcing your fill, talk to the company and ask if they have areas of their pit that are deeper from the surface, and free of plant material. If there are any visible plants or plant material in the fill, then it would not be appropriate for bringing into the park and could be considered an offence. Topsoil should NOT be brought into the park. Instead, after final grading of any backfilled areas, organic material from other areas of the cottage lot can be spread over the site to allow native plants to grow in that location.
If you have brought fill material to your cottage lot and are continuing as a cottager (not vacating the park), you should monitor the areas that you filled for the emergence of non-native plants. As noted in the Algonquin Provincial Park Cottage Lot Policy (2018-2038), you are responsible for the removal of any new or re-emerging non-native species on your cottage lot. The sooner you control new populations, the easier it will be to get rid of all of them. You may need to monitor the site for several seasons as seeds can persist in the soil for a long time before growing. Cottage program staff can help if you have questions about what is growing on your site or how to control them. See the invasive species fact sheet on the toolkit for more information on non-native and invasive species.