By Derek Cornet

Visitation increased at Lac La Ronge Provincial Park campgrounds

Sep 5, 2018 | 5:00 PM

The number of people sleeping overnight at campgrounds in the Lac La Ronge Provincial Park has increased in comparison to recent years.

That’s according to Park Manager Natasha Merriman who said visitation increased at the Nemeiben Lake, Nut Point and Wadin Bay campgrounds in 2018. While those campgrounds are now closed following the Labour Day long weekend, she noted the Churchill River, Devil Lake, Little Deer, MacKay Lake and Missinipe campgrounds remain open until the end of the month.

“It’s good to see that at Wadin Bay and Nemeiben Lake because they did have damage due to the wildfire in 2015,” Merriman said. “The weather cooperated for most of the summer with the exception of the last few weeks.”

While the summer staff have already returned to school, Merriman noted other employees will be preparing the campgrounds for winter. That means the painting of infrastructure, as well as the boarding of facilities to prevent vandalism. A major focus will also be placed on shutting down water and sewer services, she said.

Throughout the winter, the staff who stay will be responsible for clearing debris and maintaining ski trails in the park. Merriman stated the work includes tree removal, as well as packing snow and trail grooming.

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Lac La Ronge Visitor Centre Manager Judith Hanke also noticed an increase of tourists coming into the community during the start of the season. Since May, she added hundreds of people have been coming into the centre every month for camping information, maps and just to find out what there is to do in La Ronge. With the economy on the downturn in northern Saskatchewan, Hanke believes more visitors to the region could help reduce the impact.

“I think tourism is increasingly important with the closure of so many of the mines,” she said. “We need to tap into something to bring people into La Ronge. When we have tourists here, everybody benefits.”

derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno