News Release Archive
NATURAL RESOURCES--PROVINCIAL PARKS OPEN MAY 17 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Natural Resources Minister Eleanor Norrie has announced that provincially operated parks, including some with campgrounds, will open for the 1996 season on Friday, May 17. "There are some 120 parks, including 20 with campgrounds, in the provincial system," said Mrs. Norrie. " They are nature's resorts, and I encourage all Nova Scotians to use and enjoy them often throughout the 1996 season." Seven of the campgrounds operated by the Department of Natural Resources will open on May 17. They are: Salsman Park, Guysborough County; Dollar Lake, Halifax County; Graves Island and Little Risser's Beach parks, Lunenburg County; Mira River Park, Cape Breton County; Saltsprings Park, Pictou County, and The Islands Park, Shelburne County. All other campgrounds in the system will open June 14, with the exception of North Risser's in Lunenburg County, which will open July 1. Campers are advised to check with local DNR offices to confirm dates and hours of campground operations in specific parks. The day-use portion of DNR camping parks will open and close on the same dates as the campground. A "Campground Host Program" is also being introduced as a pilot project in two provincially operated campgrounds this season. Volunteer "park hosts" will greet visitors at Blomidon Park in the Annapolis valley and at Amherst Shore Park, Cumberland County. "The program is a hospitality service to park visitors," Mrs. Norrie said. "Through volunteers, it creates a warm, welcoming atmosphere that makes visitors comfortable and, at the same time, encourages them to stay longer in our parks. If the pilot project is successful, we may expand it to other campgrounds next year." In exchange for a free campsite and firewood, park hosts will spend two to six weeks greeting visitors and providing information about things to do in the park and surrounding area. Hosting requires a commitment of about four hours per day and does not include collecting fees, issuing permits, enforcing regulations or other duties that are normally the work of Department of Natural Resources parks staff. -30- Contact: Blain Henshaw 902-424-5252 trp May 16, 1996 - 4:10 p.m.