Welcome back, Cottagers! I hope everyone had a safe and healthy winter this year. The staff at Moose Mountain Provincial Park are looking forward to seeing what the summer has in store for us and anticipate another successful year here in the beautiful Moose Mountains.

As our summer season approaches, I would like to take this opportunity to share some staffing changes with our Moose Mountain Provincial Park team. First, we would like to welcome back our Park Administrative Supervisor, Ainsley Sauter, after her one-year maternity leave.

Congratulations, Teresa Truscott for permanently securing the job as our Park Administrative Representative. We are very excited to have her permanently added to our team. I would also like to welcome Erin Ast to our maintenance team as our Sanitation Supervisor. Erin grew up near and around Kenosee her entire life and has many fond memories. Her sweet and bubbly personality will be a great addition to our team, and we are very excited to welcome her. I would also like to take the time to give a shout-out to Erin Haaland for backfilling our Park Administrative Representative position this past year. Erin was a pleasure to work with and even though we are sad her term has ended with us, we wish her all the best in her new career path. Our Moose Mountain Provincial Park team is like family; we truly do our best to ensure our cottagers have the best life when living here and we can't wait to get the opportunity to connect with all of you!

Whether you are new to the park or have enjoyed cottage life in the beautiful Moose Mountains for years, I kindly ask you to please take the time to read this letter, as it includes all important dates, reminders, rules, and upcoming changes to our park. Your attention and cooperation is valuable and much appreciated.

Below is a link to the 2023 Water Quality Report for Moose Mountain Provincial Park.

Cottage lessees may pick up their 2023-24 transferable Park Specific Entry Permits from the park office in which their cottage is located beginning May 15, 2023. Park Entry Permits will be available at the Park Administrative Office (Chalet) during regular office hours Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For cottagers unable to make the Park Administration Office hours please contact the office and arrange to have your passes available for pick up at the Entry Gate upon arrival. Entry Gate hours starting May 20, 2023, will be open Sunday - Monday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Once cottage lessees have retrieved their permits, they are considered received and no further permits will be re-issued. If additional permits are required, cottage lessees may purchase a 2023-24 transferrable Annual Park Entry Permit from any provincial park office in Saskatchewan. The two issued transferrable Park Specific Entry Permits are associated with the lease and not the person; therefore, when transferring a lease please ensure these park specific permits are also transferred to the new lease owner as additional ones will not be issued.

Please remember that vehicles within provincial parks must always display a valid entry permit throughout the year.

Anyone picking up Annual Park Entry Permits associated with a cottage property at a provincial park must:

• Be named on the provincial park cottage lease agreement.
• Update contact information with park official.
• Provide personal identification.
• Sign for the permits.

As in previous years, where non-compliance issues remain, Annual Park Entry Permits may be withheld by the Ministry until outstanding non-compliant issues have been resolved. Examples of this are (but not limited to): lease fee arrears, expired lease, pending assignment of lease (sale) or unresolved estate (one lessee deceased). If any of these circumstances apply to you, please contact the park office for assistance. These permits will be held in Regina - the Regina office will advance these assigned permits once compliance has been reached.

Please ensure that the Park Office has your most recent email address and contact information, as all correspondence from the park will be communicated via email.

Water turn-on date in the cottage subdivisions is yet to be determined as it is dependent on weather conditions, however, I can assure you the Park will do everything in our power to have our water turned on by the May long weekend. The Park will notify cottagers by email and Kenosee Lake Bulletin when we start the seasonal water system start-up. Please note that it can be difficult for our staff to identify any leaks if water tanks are being filled when turning our seasonal water system on. As such, we kindly ask that you wait until the water boil advisory is lifted before filling your tanks. In the meantime, the truck fill station continues to be available for use. As we are able to isolate the truck fill station line, our boil-water advisory will not affect the fill station during our seasonal start-up process.

The Park will continue to utilize scare cannons on the beach to help deter the geese from nesting. We will continue using this technique, along with our “Away with Geese” lights, to reduce the amount of goose feces on the main beach, as we have found that this process has made quite a difference in the last few years.

Seasonal campsite reservations for all parks launched on April 3, 2023, and Moose Mountain Provincial Park nightly camping launched on April 11, 2023. Fees for 2023 season are as follows:

• Annuals - $82 ($7 increase from 2022 fee).
• Weekly - $42 ($2 increase from 2022 fees).
• Daily - $11 ($1 increase from 2022 fees).
• Seasonal Camping - $2600.
• Full-Service Site - $44.
• Electrical - $33.

Saskatchewan residents 65 years or older can again receive a Senior Annual Park Entry Permit, which provides free entry to provincial parks year-round. You must provide proof of eligibility with a Saskatchewan government-issued ID upon arrival at any provincial park to collect your permit. This permit is then assigned to your Sask Parks customer account as well as your vehicle license plate number, so only one pass is allotted per vehicle. Free senior daily and weekly permits are available in-park as well for our short-term visitors.

Staff will continue to pick up leaves and small armfuls of branches. Please ensure the branches are cut into manageable lengths as staff will not pick up tree stumps of branches that they cannot lift or fit into the truck box. Pick-up will take place following the May long, July long and August long weekends. Please note, this does not include September long weekend. If you miss these pick-up times, please contact the Park Office at 306 577-2600 to have someone open the transfer station for you to drop off leaves and branches. The Park will not pick up any leaf bags that have been left over winter. As such, we encourage you to ensure all leaf bags are removed prior to snowfall.

If you require a Porta-Potty on your lease temporarily for a family event or construction, we require an approved permit. Permits can be issued at the Park Administration Office for a $20 fee. Please note that special conditions will apply, and approval will be at the manager's discretion.

Loraas Disposal continues to collect our garbage and recycling within the cottage subdivisions. Please note that pick-up for garbage and recycling alternates every other Thursday. Please refrain from disposing your household garbage in our park campground, day use, and maintenance bins. Cottagers receive their own individual roll-out carts for their use. The 2023 Collection Calendar can be found at the link below: https://loraasdisposal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/MMPP-Collection-Calendar-2023.pdf

Please ensure your cottage number is marked clearly and visibly on the front and back of your cottage lot.

If your cottage lease is in two names, please ensure it is registered correctly (including joint tenants or tenants in common).

A permanent resident within a provincial park cottage subdivision is an individual who fulfills one of the following requirements: resides in the provincial park six months or longer during any 12-month period or utilizes their dwelling at any point after the September long weekend or prior to May long weekend. If you, as a cottager, are utilizing your cabin through all four seasons and require annual services such as garbage pickup, snow removal and water, then you are considered a permanent resident - even if it is only used on occasional weekends. Services are provided at a cost and only those who are permanent residents receive these services year-round.

If you require a tree to be removed from your lot, please contact the park office. A tree removal permit is free of charge and is required to remove dead or live trees. The purpose of the permit is to ensure that people do not clear-cut their lot as we want to maintain the natural park aesthetics.

This year, there are many cottage leases up for renewal. If this applies to you, please ensure you have a Real Property Report (RPR) on hand. For the leases that expire in March of 2024, you can expect to receive your renewal form in the mail shortly. Once this form is received, please contact the park office to arrange a site inspection or obtain information regarding the process for lease renewal and surveys with Mark Brisbois, our Cottaging Coordinator.

The Ministry has noticed an influx of camping units on cottage-leased lots. A reminder that all campers must always be contained within your surveyed lot boundary including hitch, awning and slide out and must be registered to the named leaseholder. Camping units cannot be set up or occupied on a permanent basis, which means you can only have temporary utility hooks ups and no permanent structures built around the camping unit such as a deck.

Please refrain from utilizing back alleys when conditions are wet to avoid making ruts. We must all do our part in maintaining our back alleys and ensuring they are in good condition.

Over the past few years, the Park has spent a significant amount of money to improve the drainage system in the subdivisions. As we continue to work on this ongoing issue, please ensure you are doing your part to keep culverts free from any leaves or debris so that proper water flow is maintained.

If you are looking for any trail updates, please contact our trail line 306 577-2604 Please note that this is an automated message and voicemail will not be monitored.

For any cottaging questions, please contact our Cottage Coordinator, Mark Brisbois at 306 575-8822 or mark.brisbois@gov.sk.ca You may also access additional cottaging information from the Ministry website at www.saskatchewan.ca/cottaging

Moose Mountain Water Resource Management Corporation assists with managing an effective watershed to encourage all available water in the backcountry to flow unimpeded, towards Kenosee Lake, with the objective of maintaining the lake to the Full Supply Limit (FSL). If you would like to become a member to help keep our lake at Full Supply Limit, please contact Coleen Bennett 306 577-2180 or email bcbennett@sasktel.net Membership fees are $25 per year and all money raised goes towards maintaining our watershed and keeping our lake full.

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Parks, Culture & Sport has recently put out a Request for Proposal for an inflatable water park at Moose Mountain Provincial Park! Provided we have a successful interest in the proposal we just may have a new attraction coming to Moose Mountain this summer!

Over the last couple of years, we have worked to create a brand new 18-hole disc golf course in the McNaughton Heights day-use area. The last of our signage has arrived and this project can finally be called complete. Each hole has a par sign with the layout for you to navigate the course, or we encourage you to download the UDisc app on your smartphone. From there, you will be able to search for Moose Mountain Provincial Park Course. This app includes an interactive map that details the layout of the course, identifies tee-box locations, keeps score, and allows you to share your scorecard with friends. Don't have your own discs? Not a problem! The Park Administrative Office rents weighted discs at no charge. We also have brochures to help guide and assist you.

As you know, a new dog park was implemented in 2021. In addition to the features, you know and love, this past year, we have also added a water station so your pups can hydrate as they play! For those of you new to the area, the dog park is located between Fish Creek Campground and Beaver Cottage Subdivision, south of the White Tail Trail parking area. Dog parks provide a safe space in which people can exercise their dogs, watch them play, and facilitate socialization with a variety of other dog breeds. The area provides picnic tables, garbage bins and dog waste bags. Please ensure to clean up after your dog and abide by the rules that are posted. Let's work together to keep this space a clean and safe space for our beloved fur babies.

The new Meadow Trail is now open and ready for use. This trail links the Beaver Lake and White Tail Trails, following around the north side of Chechisip subdivision and will provide a safe walking space for cottagers and park visitors alike.

Starting this summer season, The Docks at Moose Mountain Provincial Park will be offering canoe and kayak rentals at Little Kenosee Lake, therefore the park will no longer be providing this service. The Docks continue to offer dock and storage rentals; please feel free to contact them at 306 842-0145 or email admin@dsicontracting.ca for more information.

Special Event Permits are a continued requirement into 2023. If you are planning on hosting a special event, such as an athletic event, car show, concert, film production, fishing derby, fundraiser, wedding, etc. you must complete a Special Event Application.

Please click here for more information.

Sask Parks has several exciting guided programs, tours, special events, and more planned for the season. In addition to existing programming, themed programming days will also take place each Saturday and will include unique programming, special guests and exciting hands-on experiences. Don't forget about our Provincial Historic Parks! Guided tours and programs are available at Cannington Manor, only a short 10-minute drive from Moose Mountain Provincial Park. Take a step back in time and immerse yourself in Saskatchewan's early residents' stories and daily lives. Programming details and our summer calendar are available at:

• Moose Mountain Schedule
• Cannington Manor Schedule

If you're looking for a self-guided activity, Park Discovery Packs are available to borrow daily. The following Discovery Kits are available: A Camper's Guide to the Galaxy, Geology Rocks, Where Creativity STEMs, Bumbling for Bees, The Wonderful World of Wildlife, and Rec Activities. We also have Park Recreation Packs that focus on outdoor activities and sports and are designed to get your body moving. Activities include Spike Ball, Ladder Ball, Disc Golf, Volleyball and Bocce Ball. These are available to borrow at the Campground Office. Discovery Packs can be signed out with a $10 deposit for a 24-hour loan period.

Donations can be made online or in-park to specific areas of the park system customers feel passionate about. Your donation can directly help enhance and preserve our provincial parks long into the future. The generosity of your donation will help fund innovations and new experiences while also supporting education and stewardship, making you a part of the history and the future of Saskatchewan Provincial Parks.

To learn more and donate, visit saskparks.com/donate

Moose Mountain Provincial Park has been designated as an ATV park. However, there are strict regulations that govern ATV use as this is a “Natural Environment” park. ATV use is limited to designated ATV trails, as per The Parks Regulations (1991). Please note that ATV use within the core area is prohibited and must be unloaded at the ATV unloading area, west of the Kenosee Lake Riding Academy near the yellow gates on Center Lake Road. To utilize the ATV trails, a trail permit is required to be displayed on each ATV and can be picked up from the campground office during regular office hours. This permit is completely free of charge. Please know that your responsible riding will help ensure the future of recreational ATVs in Moose Mountain Provincial Park.

Park Entry Permits are required year-round in provincial parks. Saskatchewan Provincial Parks are four-season destinations and purchasing an annual permit is a great way to ensure you can continue to enjoy park offerings every season. Annual Park Entry Permits are valid from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. The entry fees that are collected go towards maintaining our parks year-round and help us provide enjoyable programming and services to our park patrons. As such, we encourage you to keep your pass even after summer is over. Please note that this includes the park-specific passes provided to you as cottage lessees.

SaskAlert is a public alerting program designed to provide critical information in real time to keep all park patrons safe. This includes boil water advisories, fire bans, natural disasters, and more. SaskAlert will:

• Let you know what the emergency is.
• Let you know where it is happening.
• Provide instructions for you to follow to stay safe.
• Advise you when the incident is over.

You will find posters around the park displaying a SaskAlert QR code. To access this, please scan the QR code and download the SaskAlert App. You can also visit their website at SaskAlert - Public Index (saskatchewan.ca).

Reporting a problem streetlight is easier than ever. Use the SaskPower App to report streetlights right at your fingertips. The online map lets you find the exact streetlight that needs repairing in your area. Once the report is submitted in a few simple steps, SaskPower will be notified of the issue and will work on getting it fixed. Report Streetlight Troubles (saskpower.com)

The after-hours emergency call line is called the Park Watch Line. The Park Watch Line is for emergency situations that occur after office hours. For all other park inquiries, please call the office during regular business hours. Park Watch: 1-800-667-1788.

If you have parks-related questions, please contact Moose Mountain Provincial Park Administration Office at 306 577-2600 ext. 0 or email moosemountain.provpark@gov.sk.ca

Park Administration Office Hours remain the same:

• Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. & 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Closed on all Stat Holidays.

Let's work together to ensure our 2023 season is a memorable one! We look forward to seeing you all very soon. Stay safe and take care!

Sincerely,