Here's your chance to let it all out, calling to wolves, while snowshoeing in a dark Gatineau Park forest. The evening begins Saturday, February 22 at 7 p.m. in the Visitors' Information Centre, with an illustrated talk by Rhonda O'Grady of Wakefield. She will coach you afterwards on howling.  Snowshoes will be provided if you lack them.

The presentation will be in English, and then questions will be entertained in both official languages.

After howling practice we will be taken by bus to a carefully scouted trail to seek and call out to wolves that may be nearby and respond. We could hear other wild sounds, perhaps the hooting of a Great Horned or Barred Owl;

The cost to members is: adults $20; children (minimum age 10) $15.

For more information and to register, telephone the Visitors' Information
Centre, (819) 827 2020.Information will be posted on our website,
www.rezoe.com/amicigatineau and calls recorded on our office telephone
(819) 827 3113 will be responded to.

New Guide for Lauriault Trail

A guide to this popular walking trail is being prepared for publication by the
Friends of the Gatineau Park. It will help the public gain an appreciation for
the cultural history and geology of the area, and the forest habitat of the
Eardley Escarpment. Due to the microclimate of the region, a variety of
spring flowers and trees can be observed along the trail. The importance of
preserving the forests in their natural state with minimal intervention by
humans is one of the themes that will be featured in the guide. The guide will
be available at the NCC Information Center on Scott Road in Chelsea.

Gatineau Park Master Plan Revision Invites Comments

The NCC has undertaken a review of the 1990 Gatineau Park Master Plan.

In the first phase of the review, analysis and consultations with interest
groups have helped identify some important issues for the Park's strategic
priorities.

The strategic priorities are:

The principal issues are:the natural environment A lack of means, reference points and knowledgewith which to identify the Park's overall conditions, in order to ensure thesustainability of its natural systems. recreation An increase in Park use and its impact on the possibility of maintaining a quality recreational experience. The proximity of urban and rural communities, the
growing demand for a range of different uses in the Park, and their impact on
its integrity heritage A reduction in the role of interpretation and the
consequences for the Park's mission of raising public awareness about
heritage conservation and development. management The absence of certain
management tools, including a formal status for the Park, control over the
territory and access points, user fees, etc.

The impacts of budget cutbacks.
The NCC has prepared three strategies for each strategic priority, with a view
to directing the Park's vision in accordance with the Plan for Canada's Capital
and involving the public in the selection process.

Each strategy comprises a set of solutions offering an approach ranging from

The solutions and statements explaining the various strategies are presented
in detail on the NCC web site at www.canadascapital.gc.ca. Documents are
also available at the Gatineau Park Visitor Centre.

You may express your preferences and views by completing a questionnaire
available on the website.

In the next phase of the review process, a concept will be prepared, based
among other things on the results of public consultations relating to the
proposed strategies.


Interpretation plan opens new possibilities for volunteer work

At the recent Friends of the Park AGM, NCC biologist Catherine Verreault
gave a presentation on the Gatineau Park interpretation plan. The following is
a summary.

Gatineau Park's nature interpretation plan has six different components:
Interpretation signs and trails, and the various brochures available.
Lac Philippe summer interpretation program. This program is aimed at
campers and Lac Philippe visitors. It includes an activity for children, a
family activity at night, a nature-discovery activity and a guided tour to the
Lusk caves.
Special activities. These are nature interpretation activities held during
special events such as the week of trees and forests, Parks Day, Fall
Rhapsody, and Ski-fest. Friends of the Park have been involved in these
activities several times.
Visitors' Centre interpretation program. This is a series of family-oriented
activities taking place every Sunday at 11 a.m. in English and at 2 p.m. in
French at the Park Visitors' Centre. These activities have a theme, changing
every month, that allows the discovery of different nature-related topics.
School groups. A semi-autonomous nature interpretation program is offered
to schools visiting the Park in the fall. Several activities are offered, including
the Friends of the Park Discovery Rally. In spring, the Canadian Museum of
Nature offers guided tours on various Park trails.
Guided tours and groups. Various groups visit the Park during guided bus or
walking tours. Some general bus tours of the Park are offered in collaboration
with Réservation Outaouais.

Friends of the Park have been involved in many aspects of the nature
interpretation program during the last few years. Currently, a partnership
exists for the preparation of an interpretation brochure of Lauriault trail and
for the installation of interpretation signs on the Sugarbush trail. An
interesting possibility is the formation of a group of guide-interpreters within
the Friends of the Park that could offer different tours to groups, schools, and
for special activities. The Park staff would offer training for those guides.
This partnership would allow diversification of the current nature-
interpretation activities. The revenues from these activities would be a
potential source of income for the Friends of the Park.


President's Message

Dear Members,

A New Year has dawned. You have a new Board of Directors with an
excellent action plan. However, a volunteer organization such as ours is only
as strong as its members. Your support is essential.

This year we will publish a new, very different guide for the Lauriault Trail,
the first in a projected series. Three public presentations are planned,
beginning with one on the timber wolf (see box on the right.)

We need help to organize the following activities:
A campaign to raise funds for interpretation projects.
Organization of a revised Rally, the popular nature quiz on the Sugarbush
trail.
Identification of interesting speakers on themes relevant to the park.

Our action plan comprises a great variety of projects related to our mandate
of interpretation and education. Your ideas, suggestions, and especially your
participation, would be most welcome.

Avec mes collègues du conseil nous vous souhaitons une année remplie de
SPALE, i.e. santé, paix, amour, liberté et espoir.

Michel Légère


New Board Elected

At our 2002 Annual General Meeting, the following members were elected
to the Board of Directors.

• Michel Légère (President),
• John Cameron (Vice-President),
• André Carrier (Treasurer),
• Catherine Dumouchel (Secretary) and
• Pierre Brascoupé are returning for another term.

• Ersen Cogulu (geology);
• Jacques Legault (wildlife research);
• Louis Marie Poissant (environmental science); and
• David Rainville (computer sciences).