Misery Bay Provincial Park
Visitors Centre closed on Thanksgiving Day, following a very
successful season. Centre attendants greeted 4,115 visitors, up
slightly from last year. Visitors were counted by clicker as
they entered the building or as they were seen walking past, but
because trails are open before and after Centre hours throughout
the year, not all park users could be counted, making the actual
number of visitors substantially higher than the clicker count.
The Visitors Centre was open from 10 am – 5 pm every
day in July and August, and on weekends and holidays from
Victoria Day weekend through Thanksgiving. Fifty volunteers
assisted with park management serving as weekend Visitors Centre
attendants, clearing and marking trails, arranging education
programs and special events, managing merchandise sales, leading
hikes, and serving on Friends of Misery Bay Board and
committees. Two grant-supported students, Jenna Hinds, returning
Mt. Allison University biology major from Toronto, and Andrew
Vokes, MSS student from Evansville, staffed the Centre on
weekdays in July and August.
Many visitors signed the Centre’s Visitors Book, and
from that, information was obtained about where people came
from. Of these, 11% were from Manitoulin Island, 68 % from
Ontario but off-island, and 5% from nine other provinces and
First Nations, totaling 84% from Canada. 16% came from other
countries, with 12% from 23 US states, and 4% from 11 other
countries, including United Kingdom, Germany, Holland, France,
Belgium, Poland, Philippines, Columbia, Kuwait, South Africa and
Japan. Most striking differences this year from 2011 were a
greater number of visitors from Manitoulin, and fewer from
countries outside Canada and the USA.
Although the Centre Building is now closed, trails are
open throughout the year during daylight hours. Hikers are
always encouraged to enjoy Misery Bay’s beautiful sights.
Ellie Moore, FOMB Volunteer Chair, 2012
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