Feature ArticleFebruary 13, 2002
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Not exploited, not sold, just ignored!Several weeks ago I mused about The Tourist Association's plans to exploit and sell "The Land O' Bottled Water" as a tourist attraction, commenting on the already overburdened frail ecosystems here in the north, and that we were not ready to accommodate additional tourist invasions.
The consultants' report has been made public, and the recommendations almost completely exclude the northern townships. It does recognize that we have an exceptionally scenic area, rich in historic culture, but we are relatively unknown except to be north of Kingston. It also emphasized that any tourist-oriented activities should have a low impact on the environment; with this I heartily agree.
I was surprised by the 3 main short-term priorities established by The Jump Team.
Birding - They must not be aware of our decreasing bird population. This winter I have 2 blue jays, a couple of nuthatches, and half a dozen chickadees at the feeder. I am still on my first bag of feed. In 1997/98 I went through 18 bags of feed, but that number has been decreasing each year since. Where have all the birds gone? Seemingly to Amherst Island in the south, where bird guiding tours are already underway.
Cycling - Bicycling tours are "in" and I have seen cycling tours travelling along the roads in Prince Edward County where the land is relatively flat and there are villages and attractions every few miles to cater to the explorers. The only cycling trail in the north of which I am aware is the Trans Canada Trail between Tweed and Sharbot Lake. I do not want to comment on it in detail, as I haven't traversed it yet, but the old railway right-of-way passes through some very lonely, desolate and swampy land. Our over 200 'Lanes' (now labeled as such with Civic Address signs) are privately maintained gravel cottage access driveways that are twisty, hilly, and for the most part dead end at somebody's cottage. Most are on private property and owners do not appreciate trespassers. Our highways are hilly and busy, really not attractive for cycling. In my opinion this priority also leaves us out of the picture.
Self-Guided Driving Tours - During the fall colour season we see tour buses and many cars on the highways, but for the most part they just pass through as after Labour Day Weekend. There is very little to encourage travelers to stop and spend. During the past two summers, artisans along Highway 41 had their directional signs for the weekend "Mazinaw Country Studio Tour" torn down by the company that maintains the highway. This so discouraged the participants that the studio tour has been cancelled for next summer. No wonder we are cynical about government, with the Tourist Branch encouraging tours, and the Transportation Branch destroying local initiative.
Medium/Long Term Priorities, some on this list are appropriate for our area, and are already being done seasonally by small local businesses. But to make tourism a year-round endeavour, major development and heavy investing is necessary. One member of the Jump Team mentioned in her oral presentation that there are some that do not want the tourist invasion expanded.
What do we want? The Tourist Association made a noble effort to find the answer, but I muse that we should look beyond the vested interests of tourist operators. We need a coherent, all-embracing study of the area. Times are changing and tourism is fickle; fads and 'in' events change at the whim of advertising.
Perhaps it is time that our local municipal governments jointly try to establish who we are and what we want to do, not solely using economic development guidelines. Extensive public input from all local walks of life is necessary for long-term planning; who better to organize it than the tax collectors that prosper by our success.
