The Dryden district's proposed protected Crown lands are undergoing the final steps of Ontario's Living Legacy Land Use Strategy. Public comment on the boundaries of these areas will be accepted until July 15 at the Ministry of Natural Resources office in Dryden.
The MNR is creating 32 sites in the northwest, named in the strategy. Of the 378 designated sites for Ontario, 85 have been placed in the protected areas' system. The Dryden district's list is comprised of conservation reserves covering about 10,000 hectares.
MNR conservation reserves complement provincial parks in protecting representative natural areas and special landscapes. Commercial timber harvesting, mining, aggregate extraction and commercial hydroelectric development are prohibited on these Crown lands.
Dryden district areas identified include: Pyatt Lake, located 60 kilometres southeast of Dryden; Adair Lake located 50 kilometres southeast of Dryden; Melgund Lake, located 40 kilometres southeast of Dryden; Stormy Lake, located about 75 kilometres southeast of Dryden; East Wabigoon River, 45 kilometres southeast of Dryden; Eagle Lake Island, located 30 kilometres from Dryden; Rainmaker Lake, located 70 kilometres from the city; and Kapesakosi Lake, located 75 kilometres southwest of Dryden.
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