Guelph Lake Conservation Area currently sits idle during the winter months, but that could change in as little as two years.
The Grand River Conservation Authority is raising funds to build a new nature centre within the park, a facility that could help reverse the financial drain that forced the organization to close the sprawling park during winter. It currently operates with full services from April 30 to October 16.
Other GRCA conservation areas remain open during the winter, including Belwood and Rockwood, both in Wellington County, a short drive from Guelph.
Lisa Stocco, GRCA manager of communications, said Guelph Lake has been closed during the winter for about 10 years, due to unfavourable economics.
“It just wasn’t financially viable to keep it open,” Stocco said. “It’s a very open area and it is difficult to section off certain areas. And there are multiple access points to the lake, so the resources required to keep that winter program running just didn’t make it financially viable. We just weren’t making any money.”
The GRCA’s parks are run solely on self-generated revenues, with no municipal funding coming to them.
Hiking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing enthusiasts continue to use the land, but it is not staffed, nor are entry fees collected in the winter.
The longstanding Guelph Lake Nature Centre, run by GRCA, is located outside the park along Conservation Road. The building is obsolete and in need of replacement, but continues to host school groups in a variety of naturalist programs. It has about 20,000 visitors annually.
Stocco said the goal is to build a new centre within the park, one that continues to offer nature programs, but also has revenue-generating services like equipment rentals and programs for a fee. It could make year-round opening viable again.
“There is a management plan for Guelph Lake, with a fundraising campaign for the Guelph Lake Nature Centre,” she added. “Things will change once we are able to build that new centre within the park, and we are hoping to be able to do that within the next couple of years.”
The building is estimated to cost $3 million, and $1 million has so far been raised.
“It would be a hub for day-use activities, allowing for other things to take place in the park,” she added.
Weather, of course, is a variable when it comes to the level of park visits in the winter. And this year, conditions have been variable, and far from ideal for winter recreation.
“Unfortunately, this year things have been a little up and down, just because of some of the mild temperatures that we experienced over the course of this winter,” Stocco said.
Ice fishing has been open for a time, and then closed in some cases. Belwood Lake was closed for ice fishing at the beginning of the week, but opened again near the end of the week.
Only cold temperatures over a consistent number of days will allow the ice to thicken enough for fishing. Eight inches is required at Belwood because snowmobiles use the surface, and because it is a working reservoir with shifting water levels.
The conservation authority plans to phase in electronic access gates at all of its parks – a membership swipe card that allows year-round access from dawn to dusk. Shade Mill’s Conservation Area in Cambridge is the first to use the technology.
The GRCA launched a new website last Friday, its first web update in 15 years. The site has an entirely new look, with large images that highlight the beauty of the Grand River Watershed, of which the Eramosa and Speed rivers running through Guelph are a part.
The site is more user-friendly, with improved navigational features, and it is accessible, with the ability to adjust type sizes and use a “browse aloud” and translator components.
Visit www.grandriver.ca for news releases, flood messages, beach conditions, volunteer opportunities and more.
