Protected Places

Book excerpt: Since the founding of Algonquin Provincial Park in 1893, Ontario has developed a parks system that is held in the highest regard. Today, some 260 parks span the province. Protected Places is a comprehensive account of the attitudes and actions that have shaped provincial parks policy over the century – notably those of early conservationists and more recently of environmentalists, aboriginal peoples, vacationers of every description, naturalists, scientists, loggers, miners, concession operators, the administrators with the responsibility to plan, develop, and manage the parks, and the politicians who made the ultimate decisions on policy matters. Author Gerald Killan’s analysis cuts across the disciplines of history, geography, political science, environmental studies, and the earth and life sciences. The book will be of compelling interest to readers from all thsese backgrounds, as well as the park visitor. Protected Places is being published in 1993 as part of the celebration of the Centennial of Ontario’s provincial parks.