Environmental groups Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society, Protected Areas Association of Newfoundland & Labrador and Nature Newfoundland & Labrador are concerned about a proposal to open Terra Nova National Park to snowmobiling, which the National Parks Act does not allow. We are calling on all levels of government to support the existing ban on motorized recreational vehicle use within national parks.
Over the past several years, there has been an active lobby from some snowmobilers in communities adjacent to Terra Nova National Park to develop a snowmobile trail through the park. Parks Canada has held its ground, despite protests, illegal trail cutting and snowmobiling by a small group.
“Terra Nova National Park provides an important refuge for species like Woodland Caribou and Newfoundland Marten”, says Suzanne Dooley, Co-Executive Director CPAWS NL. “By loosening restrictions on motorized recreational vehicle use, we would put those populations at risk. Residents of this province and Canada do not want to do that.”
Dooley pointed out that most snowmobile users in NL have to put their machines on a trailer and drive to a designated trail. “This is an inconvenience that many of us deal with. It’s not unique to Charlottetown or other communities adjacent to the park. Snowmobiling is a privilege.”
“We are calling on all levels of government to stand up for our national parks and protected areas”, says Protected Areas Association’s Ruth (Godden) French. “We have very little protected land in the province, less than 6% including national parks, so we must be vigilant and ensure these areas are not compromised by motorized recreational vehicle use. Opening up this park would set a dangerous precedent to do the same in other protected areas across the province and country.”
Video clip: Woodland Caribou, Terra Nova National Park — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yudCG1-YRL8
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For further information contact:
Suzanne Dooley
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
Phone: (709) 726-5800 / Email: sdooley@cpaws.org
Ruth (Godden) French
Protected Areas Association of NL
Phone: (709) 726-2603 / Email: rfrench@nf.aibn.com
John Jacobs
Nature Newfoundland and Labrador
Phone: (709) 738-3147 / Email: jjacobs@nl.rogers.com
Newfoundland & Labrador Environment Network 
Just checked out your article “Keep Terra Nova National Park Motor Free” which is misleading and obviously biased. To begin with, I think a better title should of been chosen since the TCH runs straight through the park. The community of Charlottetown has never requested or want the park opened up to snowmobiling so to make such statements is false. What the community has been asking for since the early 1970’s is a small corridor through the park to access snowmobile areas outside the park. The proposed snowmobile corridor is on an existing road that the community has been using since the early 1850’s to access Terra Nova. As a resident of Charlottetown it is upsetting when outsiders speak out on this topic who do not know what they are talking about or are not willing to hear our side. By the way, their are many issues Charlottetown has with Parks Canada and the snowmobile access corridor is just one of them.
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