By Ron Breault, aka @SwiftyPaddler
For many years I didn’t own a canoe to call my own, but instead rented or borrowed a neighbour’s. It wasn’t until the year 2001 that I purchased my first canoe. It was made by Swift Canoes and the model name was “Quetico”. And so began a decades long interest in this huge park of over one million square acres.
By: Jill Legault
This year the John B. Ridley Research Library celebrated the 30th Anniversary of Breaking the Barrier.
Thirty years ago, the worst happened to our Quetico Family. Our Head Gate Attendant Sheila Hainey left on her lunch hour and didn’t return. She tragically died in a car accident along Hwy 11.
Sheila was a beloved mother of four and a fierce advocate for accessibility in the 80s and early 90s. This was no doubt fueled in part because her son Tom was born with spina bifida. Tom would go on to become a four-time gold and five-time silver Paralympic swimmer.
John Doelman’s poetry is deeply personal and evocative. He carries you with him, whether at that split second of inspiration, or during the slowing down of twilight. To John, moments of life are snapshots of so much more. This poem is from his new book, “Quetico Connection,” where he brings the intimacy of the wilderness to the reader, via his favorite place, Quetico Provincial Park.
By: Jared Stachiw
Quetico Park is one of Ontario’s largest wilderness parks, encompassing over 1 million acres of rugged wilderness with regal red pine stands, large boreal wetlands, tranquil streams, and windswept lakes. We are incredibly proud to conserve these wild landscapes. To responsibly steward this protected area, we need to continually refine our understanding of it and its natural processes, which we do through a combination of monitoring activities and research endeavors.
By: Shelby Ch’Ng
Covid wasn’t kind to anyone and when my shop closed for good due to chaotic rules and disruptions in my supply lines, I felt quite lost. During lockdowns I found painting, and I naturally gravitated towards a BC folk art style that reflected where I spent my summers as a teenager. Painting filled a space in my heart and I’ve been consistently inspired by scenes in Northern Ontario.
We wish to recognize Peter Dalglish, a great supporter of the Quetico Foundation, who passed away on July 31, 2023 in Grafton, Ontario in his ninetieth year. Peter and his two canoe trip buddies, Ian McLeod and Peter Gordon, all joined the Quetico Foundation at the same time and have been trustees for over 50 years. Peter served as Treasurer on the Executive Committee for several years. Peter enjoyed canoeing especially in Quetico Provincial Park and at his beloved cottage in Algonquin Provincial Park. He loved the outdoors and really believed in protecting the environment for both present and future generations. Peter and his wife, Camilla, recently gave a generous donation, through the Dalglish Family Foundation, to the development of the new Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario. Peter will be remembered by his Quetico Foundation friends as a true gentleman, a passionate canoeist, and a well acknowledged contributor to the scientific research projects of the Quetico Foundation.
In the heart of Quetico Park, the spirit of a passionate naturalist, Shan Walshe, lives on through a bursary that continues to ignite the flame of environmental leadership in young students. Shan Walshe was a naturalist who loved and understood the wilderness like no other.
The Quetico Foundation awards a grant bursary to exceptional students from Atikokan and Lac La Croix high schools. These deserving candidates must exhibit strong leadership qualities and be accepted into a post-secondary institution to pursue studies in environmental, biological, or related fields. The bursary serves not only as a financial support system but also as a symbol of encouragement for the next generation of environmental stewards.
Today’s post comes from Jill Legault, Information Specialist at Quetico Provincial Park.
Have you been paddling for years in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and are looking to change up your route?
On February 23, 2021, Quetico Provincial Park was officially designated as an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Association!
The opportunity to look up into a beautiful starry sky has forever been a part of the Quetico Provincial Park camping experience.
Imagine yourself lying on your back gazing up into a wide-open sky filled with a million points of distant light (like the sky captured above by David Jackson!). You take a deep breath of clean air and stare upwards in wonder.
This post comes from Jill Legault, a Park Information Specialist at Quetico Provincial Park.
It’s the time of year to celebrate love.
