Community group wants to see park used 12 months of year
The Cape Breton Post 15/05/07
By Chris Shannon
ALBERT BRIDGE ‹ A year-round use for Mira provincial park is the dream of Gary Ross.
Ross and several other community members formed the group, Friends of Mira Park Society, a couple of months ago in an attempt to promote the recreational space in both the summer and winter seasons.
"The provincial government owns the park and they don't advertise a whole lot. They have a website for camping and it's all tied in with Tourism Nova Scotia and things like this," said Ross, a night watchman at the park.
"It's such a beautiful place. There's beautiful swimming, we're hoping to have some canoeing and kayaking. These are the kinds of things that down the road we're going to have."
In the off-season, Ross said he'd like to see cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and hiking.
He said there is the proper equipment in place to have the park used all 12 months of the year.
"We presently have equipment to do grooming for cross-country ski trails."
There are plans to build a new walking trail, playground and more activities for children such as soccer clinics and summertime movie nights.
The society plans to raise most of the needed cash. One of its first donations was a $1,000 health and wellness grant from the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation.
Sunday, Ross and the society of about 40 members will host a pre-summertime event that welcomes the public to take part in an afternoon of activities that includes a history of the park's facilities, an eco-trail walk, barbecue and camp fire.
The event is scheduled for 1-6 p.m. A rain date is set for Victoria Day, May 21.
The event is being used as a free promotion for the society to drum up future donations for the park.
While he couldn't say how much money the society would ultimately like to raise, Ross said the park, which boasts 150 non-electrical hookup camp sites, nearly 80 picnic sites, a beach and flush toilets, will see its uses grow over the next several years.
He hopes it'll lead to more people using the park all year long.
These pages were created by Lark Szick
© Copyright All Rights Reserved. April. 29, 2007.
Space donated by the C.B.G.H.A.
http://www.cbgha.org