A cemetery is now being proposed between the TransCanada Trail and the main Whiteshell Park service road. An enchanting Red Pine Forest had been planted there many years ago. A beautiful TransCanada Trail was built, from donations, through this forest. This area, being one of the most scenic parts of the Whiteshell Trail and on a lovely scenic drive for all park visitors, should not be developed.
After visiting the site, one realizes that the cutting down of many trees, making roads into the site, the use of much heavy machinery, the digging up of the fragile ecosystem, and the digging up of graves will destroy the scenic beauty of this spot. Future proposed expansion lies even closer to the trail and will entail more destruction. The small buffer of forest is not adequate between the trail and the cemetery. Many cars parked on the road or in a parking lot will further impact the area. The bedrock is not far from the surface and one wonders how the graves will be made deep enough. I’d like to see the forest and not a fenced cemetery when walking, hiking, skiing or biking along the trail.
There are more people benefiting from the Park’s natural beauty than would benefit from the cemetery. More development is not desirable to disturb the beauty of our Park.
Please, please, say NO to this project! The emails to write to are at the bottom of this post.
Marlene Pontifex
60 year resident of Falcon Lake & Nature Manitoba member
