Change in seasonal camping permits at Butter Pot Provincial Park

Environment and Conservation Minister Tom Osborne today advised of changes to seasonal camping permits at Butter Pot Provincial Park.

The minister said a total of 40 seasonal camping permits will be available for Butter Pot Provincial Park for the 2005 camping season, an increase of nine seasonal permits over the year before. A new public draw system is also being introduced for seasonal camping permits for the park.

Minister Osborne said, "In the past, 31 seasonal camping permits have been issued on an annual basis for Butter Pot Provincial Park. Traditionally, these permits were issued at a discount to encourage camping at a time when the demand for campsites was very low in the province, and the permits were generally allocated to the same group of campers. However, the demand for campsites at Butter Pot Provincial Park has grown substantially and far exceeds the supply, resulting in the need to address the increasing demand."

The minister said of the 40 seasonal permits, 31 will be made available to the long-standing seasonal campers who have held these permits over the past several years. The remaining seasonal permits will be issued to the general public through a public draw process.

"The traditional seasonal campers at Butter Pot Provincial Park will be given the opportunity to be grandfathered into the new seasonal permit allocation process," said the minister. "If any of the 31 long-standing seasonal permit holders do not wish to purchase seasonal permits for the 2005 season, the permits will be made available to the general public through the public draw system."

The minister also said that due to the high demand for campsites at Butter Pot park, the discount rate that was introduced several years ago as an incentive to draw more campers to the park has been discontinued. Campers will pay the regular seasonal rate based upon the standard $13 daily fee and the number of days the park is open. The discount rate will remain in effect at all other provincial parks in the province.

For more information or to obtain a public draw application, please contact:
Butter Pot Provincial Park
Trans Canada Highway
Tel: (709) 685-1853
Fax: (709) 729- 4292

Department of Environment and Conservation
Parks and Natural Areas Division
33 Reid�s Lane
Deer Lake, NL A8A 2A3
Tel: (709) 635-4520
Fax: (709) 635-4541

Further information and public draw applications can also be obtained by visiting the Parks and Natural Areas Division Web site at www.gov.nl.ca/parks

Media contact: Sonia Glover, Communications, (709) 729-2575, 685-6612

2005 04 14                    1:00 p.m.