Boating in Canada Archive

St. Lawrence Islands National Park

Changes for 1999

  1. Endymion Island: Garbage cans have all been removed from the west (it's actually south) dock, because the island has been designated a special preservation area. A park employee said that only the west end of the island has been designed Zone 1, the highest protection rating. This might explain the new sign that says: No Generators Allowed. There are many plants on this island that are rare in Canada -- I hope the park officials note that people are becoming an endanged species as more facilities are removed from the park islands (docks, shelters, tent spots, picnic tables, stoves, barbeques).

  2. Moorings on the north-west side of Endymion will be moved to the bay on the south side (7 total). The dinghy ramp on the north side is gone (and made completely inaccessible with rocks and trees). A new ramp and very STEEP ramp is now on the rock near the outhouse on the east side of the mooring "farm" which now takes up most of the anchoring spots in the main bay.

  3. New signs will be installed stating that there will be only one vessel per buoy and no rafting together of boats.

  4. There will be 22 mooring buoys in the park: Adelaide (4), Camelot (6), Endymion (7) and Thwartway/Leek (5). All are in the Admiralty Group south of Gananoque.

The "heritage" of the island over the last century involved boaters and people fishing in the area in the infamous "St. Lawrence skiff", and cooking their catch on shore on one of the many uninhabited islands which became this park in the last century. The changes to the park policy is made by Parks Canada, part of the federal Heritage Canada (Minister: Sheila Copps). Decisions about removing facilties are likely made by the local park administration in Mallorytown Landing (I've been told by at least 4 people it was closed when they stop by to buy a park pass in May).

See the St. Lawrence Islands National Park contact list to voice your opinion on park policy or rules.