The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The province is set to open 5,800 sites in Manitoba's provincial park campgrounds that feature a variety of outdoor experiences and services, Conservation Minister Stan Struthers announced Monday. To book a site, call toll-free 1-888-4U2-CAMP; or visit the website at www.manitobaparks.com and follow the links to camping. "Manitoba offers campers everything from wilderness experiences in remote regions of the province to fully-serviced lots which can be booked through the improved parks reservation service," said Struthers. "Our new reservation service is a great example of our commitment to creating great outdoor experiences." As of Monday, 13,865 bookings had been made for campsites through the new, made-in-Manitoba service since the system launched in April. Improvements to the system included a more flexible search capability, more detailed campground maps and a more user-friendly display of available sites that makes it easier than ever to book a campsite in Manitoba's parks. Improved technology that includes wireless and satellite communications is providing the busiest campgrounds with real-time access to the reservation system. Faster check-in times with better information about the availability of sites and the ability to make reservations at other campgrounds are just a few of the benefits. The new system is also able to handle more routine tasks such as printing park permits and tracking inventory information. This means staff are doing less paperwork and are spending more time managing campgrounds. Twenty-four more yurts will be ready in early summer at Spruce Woods, Asessippi, Clearwater and Bakers Narrows provincial parks. A yurt is a permanent fabric-walled hut-shaped structure with windows, an opening skylight, lockable doors, a heater and lighting. The yurts also feature rustic log furniture including a bunk bed, futon, table, chairs and a small storage cabinet. The first 10 yurts went into service at New Nutimik campground last year summer and have been very popular. A campground electrification program across the province has added approximately 350 electrical sites to Stephenfield, Hecla, Duck Mountain, Paint Lake and Whiteshell provincial parks. The program continues with another 120 campsites targeted for improvement. Washroom upgrades have been made at Blue Lake in Duck Mountain Provincial Park. Additional washroom and shower construction will be underway this summer at Birds Hill, New Nutimik and West Hawk Lake in Whiteshell Provincial Park and at Watchorn and Bakers Narrows provincial parks. 5/17/2006
