BC park reservations begin April 1

The great outdoors has been calling for the last several weeks now and campers are already dreaming of sitting around the campfire in their favourite BC campground.

The Minister of Environment, Barry Penner, has announced that, in its effort to continue providing quality camping experiences, it has developed a new reservation system that, for the first time, will enable campers to reserve specific sites. Individual campsite reservations can be made through the Discover Camping Campground Reservation Service from April 1 to September 15, 2010 in 70 BC parks.You can find out more by visiting http://www.discovercamping.ca and make your reservation by calling toll-free from Canada/USA: 1-800-689-9025 or, from other locations in North America or overseas: 1-519-826-6850.

Increased operating costs and reduced tax revenues have resulted in increases in the fee structure this year, for the first time in two years, in order to ensure the continued high-quality maintenance service that campers have appreciated in the past. BC Parks’ pricing is generally lower than most private-sector camping opportunities around the province and in other jurisdictions, according to Mr Penner.

Fee changes are as follows:

• Camping fees for basic and moderate sites will increase by either $1 or $2 per night. (Basic sites will increase from $15 to $16 per night, and moderate sites will increase from $19 to $21 per night.)

• Camping fees in some developed campgrounds will increase by an additional $2 per night (from $26 to $28) and some by an additional $4 per night (from $26 to $30) for highest-demand sites with the highest levels of service.

• Premium backcountry fees for adults will increase by $5 per night (from $5 to $10) at Garibaldi, Cathedral, Berg Lake (Mt Robson), Wells Grey, Juan de Fuca, Strathcona, Cape Scott, Mt Assiniboine, Kokanee Glacier and Bugaboo. (Youth ages 13-18 yrs old will remain at $5 per night). Backcountry fees in 33 parks, including E.C. Manning, Wells Gray and Tweedsmuir, will remain at $5 per night.

• Mooring buoy fees will increase by $2 per night (from $10 to $12).

• Sani-station fees will increase by $3 per use (from $2 to $5 per discharge).

Today, a total of 14.26 per cent (more than 13.5 million hectares) of British Columbia is protected – more than any other province in Canada. Since 2001, the BC government has invested has invested over $70 million in capital improvements for British Columbia parks, including upgrades to drinking water systems, washrooms and picnic areas, the establishment of 58 new parks, 143 conservancies, two ecological reserves and nine protected areas. The government has also expanded approximately 60 parks and six ecological reserves, protecting more than 1.9 million hectares of additional land in the same period.

For additional information on recreational opportunities in BC parks, go to http://www.bcparks.ca.