Kenora District Camp Owners Association Makes $5,000 Donation to Eagle Lake Farabout Peninsula Coalition
Kenora District Camp Owners Association gave the Eagle Lake Farabout Peninsula Coalition a $5,000 donation in 2018 to support their conservation efforts. The Coalition and local fishing lodges continue to cooperate to hold fund-raising dinners, support archaeological activities adjacent to the peninsula and promote ecotourism around the area.
It would be best if politicians — if they are really listening to their constituents — realized that tourism depends on a two way street.
Campgrounds
It wasn't long ago that the small business owners of Kenora campaigned hard to have the Provincial Government construct a highway bypass and ever since then they've been moaning that their businesses are taking a huge hit because nobody stops anymore - they just drive right on by.
Camp and lodge owners in northwestern Ontario are upset that the American border remains closed as their bottom lines depend on Americans spending big bucks in their communities. They say a new limit on non-resident anglers in Fisheries Management Zone 5 will hurt tourism. At Anicinabe Park, manager Murray Affleck says he recently had a group of visitors from California who stopped at Wal-Mart in Kenora, saw the sign banning overnight RV parking and drove on to his park. They stayed for two days and spent money in restaurants, at local stores and on their fishing trips.
Cabins
In addition to helping preserve natural resources for the future, Kenora District Camp Owners Association members also care about their communities. This was demonstrated recently with a $5,000 donation to the Eagle Lake Farabout Peninsula Coalition which has worked diligently over the past decade to protect this picturesque peninsula from logging.
The association is expressing concern with new rules that reduce the number of walleye non-resident anglers can take per day in Fisheries Management Zone 5. Gord Bastable, a lodge owner and member of the KDCA, believes these restrictions will hurt an area that depends heavily on outdoor tourism. The new limits took effect January 1 in the border waters portion of the zone that includes the area around Kenora, Fort Frances and Dryden.
RV Parks
RV parks are great for travelers on the move. They offer a range of amenities, from basic hookups to swimming pools and game rooms. You can use a search engine like Campendium to find the perfect RV park for you.
Anicinabe RV Park and campground is a great place to stay while exploring Kenora. This campground offers standard, premium, and back-in RV sites with electric hookups. The campground also features a clubhouse, camp store, and laundry facilities. The campground is only a short walk from Rabbit Lake, which is great for fishing and swimming.
Rushing River Provincial Park offers car camping, trailer camping, and group campsites near Lake of the Woods. This park is a great place to get a taste of wilderness lakes in northwestern Ontario.
Restaurants
The Association is concerned about how a change in fishing rules could affect tourism in northwestern Ontario. Camp owners say the extension of fish limits in Fisheries Management Zone 5 — which covers the Kenora, Fort Frances and Dryden areas — could have a negative impact on an area that depends heavily on outdoor recreation. Kenora District Camp Owners Association President Jacqui Hawkeness talks to CKON about the concerns lodge owners have. She says the Association recently made a $5,000 donation to the Eagle Lake Farabout Peninsula Coalition to support their conservation efforts as they act to protect the area from logging. Area fishing lodges also continue to cooperate to hold fund-raising dinners and promote protection of fish spawning areas and ecotourism around the Farabout Peninsula.
Shopping
The town's economy depends on tourism. Unfortunately, it seems that a small group of people are trying to ruin it by introducing the most anti-tourist legislation ever witnessed in this country!
Murray Affleck, manager of Anicinabe Park, says most RV visitors who pull into Wal-Mart to sleep are passing through Kenora on their way elsewhere. He points out that they compliment the beauty of the Lake of the Woods region, eat at local restaurants and shop in stores.
Carol Davis, Lake of the Woods Business Incentive Corporation tourism and communications manager, says Web blog reports have complained that Kenora's overnight parking ban will damage the city's image as a tourist destination and encourage some RVers to avoid the community. She is sympathetic to both sides of the argument.