Spruce Woods Provincial Park to get $2M facelift
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SPRUCE WOODS PROVINCIAL PARK — A floating boardwalk and viewing platform are being added to the trail network in Spruce Woods Provincial Park, as the province announced more than $2 million in upgrades and repairs for the site.
Parts of two hiking trails will be upgraded, along with improvements for Kiche Manitou campground’s electrical services for campers.
“We want to ensure that whether you are taking a hike, hitching a tent or attending a campfire talk, that your park experience is safe, accessible and memorable,” Environment and Climate Change Minister Mike Moyes said Friday after announcing the funding at the park’s visitor centre.
Environment and Climate Change Minister Mike Moyes speaks at a press conference at Spruce Woods Provincial Park on Friday. (Photos by Alex Lambert/The Brandon Sun)
“These projects reflect our government’s commitment to maintaining high quality recreational spaces and support for park operations, while preserving the ecological and cultural integrity of our parks.”
The improvements include the floating boardwalk and viewing platform on Isputinaw Trail, which will reopen parts of the trail that were previously closed.
Bridge repairs will be carried out on Spring Ridge Trail, where a flooded bridge has been out of commission since at least the 2011 and 2012 floods, according to Ann Stout, president of the Friends of Spruce Woods Provincial Park.
The funding will also be used to add 70 new electrical hookups for campers at Kiche Manitou.
Stout said the new funding is “beyond my wildest dreams.”
“Our hiking trails and biking trails are so important — that’s why our park is used, like, all year round,” she said after the announcement. “It’s extremely instrumental.”
The improvements will be good for the entire region, she said.
“These upgrades reflect our shared values of environmental stewardship and community engagement,” she said. “We look forward to the lasting, positive impact that this will have on Spruce Woods park and the Westman region.
Moyes said the repairs for the Spring Ridge Trail will now make it a full loop.
Friends of Spruce Woods Provincial Park president Ann Stout speaks at a press conference at the park on Friday.
“This bridge is going to complete the loop of the trail and will allow visitors to safely explore springs along the Assiniboine River, and is a key feature along the Trans Canada Trail here in the park,” he said.
He added that it will help the interpretive programming that takes place on the trail.
The head of interpretation for Manitoba Parks, Sloan Cathcart, said that’s one of the most important things the park offers.
“Park interpretation is at the heart of what makes a visit to our parks meaningful,” Cathcart said. “It’s not just about seeing our parks. It’s about understanding them.”
He said park interpreters offer guided hikes, discovery tables, campfire talks, amphitheatre presentations and school tours. The upgrades, he said, will allow people to get closer to nature than they ever had during tours.
“The new floating boardwalk and platform will allow visitors to safely access and appreciate the sensitive wetland areas here in the river-bottom forest, critical for bird watching and ecological education,” he said.
“Park interpreters will now be able to bring school groups and families closer to the unique habitats without damaging them, creating immersive, up-close learning experiences in nature.”
Cathcart encouraged people to explore the park, along with the other provincial parks Manitoba has to offer.
Manitoba Parks head of interpretation Sloan Cathcart speaks at a press conference at Spruce Woods Provincial Park on Friday.
Moyes said there was no particular significance to the timing of the announcement, which comes after several funding announcements in and around the Spruce Woods provincial riding, where a byelection has to happen by Sept. 16.
More announcements would have been made in Manitoba, he said, if the province wasn’t in the midst of its worst wildfire season in the last 30 years. He said additional announcements will be made after the emergency has ended.
“We’re looking forward to really outlining some of the other improvements that we’re going to be able to make in our provincial parks right across the province,” Moyes said.
Additional improvements for Spruce Woods Provincial Park include relocating a maintenance yard away from a flood-prone area and purchasing new equipment to support park operations, the province said in a news release.
» alambert@brandonsun.com