MANITOBA has added to its network of protected lands with the five-year renewals of six park reserves and the creation of a new one on the Cormorant Islands in Lake Winnipegosis.
The province now has one million acres of ecologically sensitive land protected in this manner. It means that no development is permitted to take place and that consultations with interested communities are held to determine the best way to protect the land for the future.
The addition of the Cormorant Islands is part of an agreement made between the province and the Chemawawin Cree Nation 45 years ago to transfer that island so that its moose and nesting bird populations are protected.
Chemawawin is located on the north shore of Lake Winnipegosis south of Easterville.
The other park reserves to receive additional five years of protection were Grand, Pemmican and Goose Islands in Lake Winnipegosis and Pelican Islands, Sturgeon Bay and Kinwow Bay on the west side of Lake Winnipeg.