| User Conflicts in the Temagami Area. |
| Wednesday, 26 August 2009 17:18 |
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by Ed MacPherson
The area in and around Yorston, Linger and Seagram Lakes is classed as an Integrated Management Area, under the Temagami Land Use Plan. That means that many activities are allowed……including logging, mining, hunting, fishing, motor boating, motorized camping, public motorized access, new motorized and non-motorized trail development etc, etc. So I was expecting to see some motorboats, ATVers , fishermen, maybe, remnants of past logging activities, etc. Yorston at one time was a very pretty lake, but a fire in the NW corner has taken a toll on the landscape, that is now slowly coming back with new growth. Unfortunately the fire also wiped out the few campsites located on the islands in the upper narrows, such that there are only 2 campsites remaining in the north end of the lake. As it was getting late and I was getting tired, I needed to locate a place to stay. I saw what looked like a site in the extreme NW corner of the lake. As I paddled closer it started to look even better, with an open grassy area, up a bit from the water, with a slide in beach area for a landing. I took it and got set up and had dinner without taking too much time to look around.The following morning I was planning to locate the portage into Seagram Lake and do any clearing that it required. To get there I needed to walk along the ATV trail that runs just several meters behind the campsite. Oh what a sight it was. The ATV trail also has an open area that appears to have been used by some Moose Hunters, over a several year period. Here is what I found:
Big wad of discarded plastic film balled up and left in the bush behind site. This thing is about 6 feet across, and about 6 feet tall making it hard not to see, even if you have poor eyesight.
Collapsed lean–to with plastic covering laying on the ground. This will become the next big wad of plastic. Do you know how long it takes for this stuff to decompose? 30-40 years maybe. Better to remove it from the lean-to so that you can use the structure next year. That way the snow will not likely collapse it and you will not have to rebuild it. With less rebuilding to do, that would get you to your beer and moose hunting quicker also. I wouldn’t really object to coming across a well constructed lean–to that had its cover removed when not in use and it was clearly going to be used by a group of hunters during the next season. There are many lean-to structures in the Temagami Area that are left standing from season to season in these Integrated Management areas.
Abandoned rain gear. You have to ask why the owner would just leave it there and not carry it out on their ATV with the rest of their garbage when they leave, following the hunt.
More discarded black plastic that looks as if it is covering some wood, for their expected return in the 2009 Moose Season. Fair enough you might say. Also, some other accoutrements in the background… a table and 2 grates, one large stainless steel grate, barely visible in the foreground… the hunters expect to return and these are capital goods that don’t deteriorate readily. We all appreciate some well constructed furniture out there…..but not the plastic.
In the foreground is a defunct toilet apparatus. The seat is no longer functional, yet it remains as an eyesore to other travelers. This must have been the original place to visit when you had to go. Hopefully it had a hole under it when in service.
This mess appears to be the Version 1 replacement apparatus for the above, broken chair style seat. Doesn’t appear to have been a very successful construction. And what an eyesore it is….
This appears to be Version 2. Again not too successful. Pepper my travel companion, is quite interested in these devices, sniffing at them extensively even though they haven’t seen service in several or more years.
But wait there is more…...this is Version 3. Still standing and apparently, still useable. It is still an eyesore and will continue to be an eyesore for many years following its demise if these Moose hunters leave it there.
I am becoming somewhat intrigued by these structures having seen them all over Temagami on my travels. Most of them are closed in with opaque plastic or non-descript wooden frames and boards. I think that must be so that no one can see you while you are doing your business. They are never taken down and removed just left in place to rot away …..slowly.
This next one is located on the East shoreline of the Sturgeon Provincial Waterway Park. Looks as if it was left behind by Moose hunters as well. As the area is accessed by an ATV trail running alongside the river with evidence of a large wall tent having been used as the hunt camp. The tent was removed but this eyesore was left behind…. For others to use? It is a very colorful one made from junk boards….. but somewhat better constructed than the ones on Yorston.
This is a very old privy located on an island on Maskinonge Lake. It hasn’t been used in maybe 30-40 years. It was surrounded by a blue plastic tarp made with a coated reinforcing fabric typical of what you can buy in a Canadian Tire Store or other places. You can see some shards of the tarp hanging from the trees. I attempted to remove most of it, but some remains embedded into the tree trunks which have grown out around the tarp material.
This next Privy is my favorite. We call it a Thunder Box. Made from Cedar or treated wood…. It blends well into the surrounding landscape making it less obtrusive than plastic film and colorful boards. It is easy to install using a shovel and a steel bar to facilitate the digging of a hole. When installed properly, over a suitable well dug hole, it will last for about 20 years and would therefore be useable for many hunting seasons. And with the cover lid up and used to block the view it becomes very private. On Monday, Morning I was portaging into Seagram and as I returned to pick up my canoe, 4 ATVers came along the road, strung out a bit. Each one stopped for a few minutes to talk to me. They had been fishing at Pilgrim Creek and were moving over to Seagram Lake to try their luck there. They had all seen the remains of the Moose camp as they passed it and were disgusted. A couple of them were Moose hunters and said they did the lean-to thing as well but would never leave a mess like that behind. The area is an Integrated Management Area open to all of us for our enjoyment. None of us has a right to leave our garbage laying around for others to have to deal with. It would be nice to see the area Conservation Officer go in there this Fall and get these guys to clean up their mess. That’s the way I see it. |
In early May this year, I went into Yorston Lake planning to travel up the Yorston River to Talking Falls and then go into Mudchannel Lakeand crossover into the Pinetorch Conservation Reserve. I arrived on Yorston Saturday, May 9th planning to stay for Sunday as well, before heading into Seagram Lake.
