Another camping season is about to get underway in Newfoundland and Labrador, with seven provincial parks scheduled to open in time for the Victoria Day weekend. Barachois Pond, Butter Pot, Frenchman's Cove, J.T. Cheeseman, La Manche, Lockston Path and Notre Dame are set to open May 19. The remaining six provincial camping parks will open in late May and early June.

The guided tours for Cape St. Mary's Visitor Centre and Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve will open to the public May 8, while guided tours of Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve are scheduled to open June 14.

"Our provincial park and reserve system offers residents and visitors the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors in some of the most spectacular natural surroundings in the province," said the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Environment and Conservation. "We have made a significant investment in our parks system over the past couple of years, and visitors will certainly have an opportunity to avail of these upgrades this season. We encourage visitors and residents alike to explore our campgrounds and reserves and experience the natural beauty for which our province is renowned."

As part of the ongoing commitment to enhance park services, electrical services have now been added to a number of campsites in five provincial parks this season: Dildo Run - 21 campsites; Frenchman's Cove - 20 campsites; J.T. Cheeseman - 21 campsites; La Manche - 27 campsites; and Notre Dame - 37 campsites. In addition, campground expansions were completed at La Manche (13 new campsites) and Sandbanks (5 new campsites) in 2009, bringing the total number of campsites in the provincial park system to 1,056.

While camping fees will not increase in 2010, previously unserviced campsites that were subject to a fee of $15 per night and now have electrical services will be subject to the fully-serviced campsite fee of $23 per night. A complete list of campsite fees can be found in the backgrounder below.

The provincial parks reservation system will launch during the first week of May 2010. Last year, more than 9,000 reservations were made in provincial parks. The service is available by calling toll-free 1-877-214-CAMP (2267) or online at www.NLcamping.ca.  The system will begin at 7:00 a.m. Newfoundland Standard Time on the scheduled launch dates outlined below.

"The appreciation of our natural environment can be expressed in many ways, from visiting a campground or natural area to taking advantage of our abundance of hiking trails," said Minister Johnson. "I encourage everyone to use this resource wisely and respect the environment during all pursuits."

The province's network of provincial parks and natural areas includes 13 camping parks, seven day use parks, the T'Railway Provincial Park, Main River Waterway Provincial Park and 10 park reserves, for a total of 32 provincial parks. Along with the provincial parks, there are currently two wilderness reserves and 18 ecological reserves. More information about provincial parks and reserves may be obtained by calling (709) 635-4520 or visiting www.gov.nl.ca/parks  

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Media contact:
Melony O'Neill
Director of Communications
Department of Environment and Conservation
709-729-2575, 689-0928
moneill@gov.nl.ca