What we heard - Watts Road Coastal Access Community Engagement Survey & Findings

The floating boardwalk in PEI National Park at Greenwich crosses a pond and not a marsh, dune slack and cranberry bog, as is the case with the boardwalk infrastructure at Watts Road. The floating boardwalk in Greenwich is in a Zone 2 designated area, as compared with the boardwalk at Watts Road which is in a Zone I Special Preservation Area – the most protected category under the Parks Canada zoning system in PEI National Park. Coastal wetlands like the one at Watts Road are among the habitat types in PEI National Park that are most vulnerable to climate change. It is important for Parks Canada to protect this ecosystem to build ecological resilience. The boardwalk in Greenwich was strategically installed to protect and present the pond ecosystem and is a flagship Parks Canada offer to increase public awareness and understanding about coastal ecosystems.

Boardwalks are used throughout PEI National Park as an accessible way for visitors to gain access to the coast and to direct the flow of visitor traffic over sensitive ecosystems such as dunes. There are several accessible coastal access points in the park: Stanhope Beach, Brackley Beach, and Cavendish Beach.

Investments in infrastructure located close to the coast, e.g., boardwalks, must consider the realities of coastal change and vulnerability. The Agency has defined offers in PEI National Park for the benefit of all Canadians in less ecologically sensitive areas of the park.

The PEI National Park boundary corridor was most recently delineated and cut in 2016/2017 and is regularly maintained as part of Parks Canada’s Boundary Identification Directive. The boundary corridor is proposed to provide pedestrian access to the coast from Watts Road. Parks Canada will clear vegetation that impedes passage, add signage and rope to clearly delineate access to the coast via the Parks Canada administered boundary corridor. The minor scope of vegetation management will align with the norms for routine boundary maintenance.

The boundary corridor is not a groomed trail offer such as those found in multiple locations throughout PEI National Park. As was the case with the previous boardwalk, the boundary corridor is not barrier free or fully accessible. Parks Canada has made significant investments in boardwalk infrastructure to enable visitors to safely access the coast, and to channel the flow of traffic over the ecologically sensitive dunes. Visitors with mobility challenges seeking an accessible way to access the coast are encouraged to take advantage of Parks Canada’s fully accessible infrastructure in Stanhope, Brackley and Cavendish.

Motorized recreational vehicles such over-snow vehicles and all-terrain vehicles are not permitted within PEI National Park except for purposes of administration of the park (in the case of all-terrain vehicles) and with the permission of the superintendent. Park Wardens are on patrol and monitor conditions in PEI National Park seven days per week. Visitors who wish to report a non-emergency issue (e.g., facility damage, wildlife concern, law enforcement issue) can call Parks Canada Dispatch at 1-877-852-3100.

Parks Canada has made significant investments in boardwalk infrastructure to enable visitors to safely access the coast, and to channel the flow of traffic over the ecologically sensitive dunes. Visitors with mobility challenges seeking an accessible way to access the coast are encouraged to take advantage of Parks Canada’s fully accessible infrastructure in Stanhope, Brackley and Cavendish.

There are also many scenic trails located within PEI National Park, each with its own unique features, including ones that meander along field edges and hedgerows or through mixed woodlands. There are many ways to enjoy the places administered by Parks Canada, and visitors are invited to access places in the park that will best meet their needs for a pleasant visit.

The sensitive dune slack wetland that exists at Watts Road was created naturally over decades and the current coastal environment has evolved from what existed in the past. Parks Canada recently reviewed photos of the Watts Road area from as early as 1935 and they show there was pedestrian beach access at the end of Watts road. However, in the 1930s, the coastal habitat was different from how it exists today. Historical aerial photos of this area from 1935 appear to feature a wide span of dry sand inland toward the end point of Watts Road. As the coastal ecosystem migrated and evolved, the access point was sealed off and became a brackish dune slack wetland. We anticipate that this coastal landscape will continue to change, as climate change accelerates and the impacts become more adverse and frequent.

Records indicate that in the early 1980s construction was undertaken at Watts Road trail. Where minor repairs have been undertaken in the past, the overall state of the current infrastructure at Watts Road has reached the point of critical failure and presents a visitor safety concern. Given that the infrastructure is located in a Zone I Special Preservation Area where infrastructure is generally not to be built, replacing infrastructure in this sensitive and protective zone of PEI National Park does not appear to align with Parks Canada’s legislated mandate or the Agency’s commitment – as a first priority – to protect the ecological integrity of these special places and ensure that they remain healthy and whole. While the removal of this infrastructure would change the way that local residents and visitors access the coast from Watts Road, it would also support improvement of the integrity of PEI National Park’s coastal ecosystem overall, and improve the resilience of our coastline to climate change impacts such as increased coastal erosion and inland flooding. The ecological gains of decommissioning the boardwalk infrastructure that departs north from Watts Road and restoring this area are evaluated to be greater than any potential negative impact of pedestrian traffic at the coastal access point via the boundary corridor. Focusing on “long term natural and cultural conservation gains" is consistent with the current PEI National Park management plan.

Parks Canada is accountable to Canadians and has a legislated mandate and commitment to protect ecological integrity. The Agency receives the support and confidence of the public because we protect these areas for all Canadians. Parks Canada invests in infrastructure in a way that is informed by coastal and climate change vulnerabilities, that protects ecological integrity and that will best benefit the Canadian public’s safe use and enjoyment of these treasured places. The Agency has defined offers in PEI National Park for the benefit of all Canadians in less ecologically sensitive areas of the park.

We understand that coastal access is important to residents of Watts Road for a number of reasons. We support maintaining pedestrian access to the coast from Watts Road, and the boundary corridor appears to be an option that reflects this intent while upholding the Agency’s legislated mandate to all Canadians.

The PEI National Park boundary corridor path (yellow outline in map below) leads from Watts Road to the coast. The entirety of this path is land administered by Parks Canada for all Canadians. The property south east of the boundary and adjacent to the national park is privately owned.

Visitors utilizing the boundary corridor path will be able to access the coast without crossing onto privately-owned property. Parks Canada is currently evaluating the suggestions provided by survey respondents, including clearing vegetation that impedes passage and the installation of signage and roped-off sections along the boundary corridor so visitors can clearly see the path and do not inadvertently cross onto private property.

Within the national park, the Canada National Parks Act dictates that ecological integrity shall be the first priority in decision-making. Parks Canada does not have jurisdiction over privately-owned lands outside of PEI National Park, even if they are directly adjacent to protected areas or Federal Crown Land. Privately-owned lands outside the park are subject to Provincial Department of Agriculture and Land jurisdiction.

Parks Canada is currently evaluating the suggestions provided by survey respondents for improving pedestrian access via the boundary corridor, including:

• Making changes along the boundary corridor (e.g., adding signage and roping off the route) to the end of the path at the coast so the access point within Parks Canada-administered land is clearly discernible and navigable, and pedestrians do not inadvertently cross onto private property.
• Adding signage (e.g., a sign at boardwalk closure about how this ecosystem is in repair; signs at the access point and along the boundary corridor).
• Clearing vegetation that impedes passage of pedestrians and filling holes on the boundary corridor pathway.

Historical access and changing landscape

The sensitive dune slack wetland that exists at Watts Road was created naturally over decades and the current coastal environment has evolved from what existed in the past. Parks Canada recently reviewed photos of the Watts Road area from as early as 1935 and they appear to show pedestrian beach access at the end of Watts road. However, in the 1930s, the coastal habitat was different from how it exists today. Historical aerial photos of this area from 1935 appear to feature a wide span of dry sand inland toward the end point of Watts Road. As the coastal ecosystem migrated and evolved, the access point was sealed off and became a brackish dune slack wetland.

Park establishment and management planning

PEI National Park was established in 1937 and the first management planning process for PEI National Park began in 1974. Management plans inform the vision, strategic direction and decision making for national parks, and all past plans – including the PEI National Park: preliminary master plan of 1977 – acknowledge the ecological importance of the area around Watts Road. The 1977 plan identifies the entire area east of Dalvay as a Zone I special area having “good examples of swamp and bog vegetation” and of being “assessed to be of national significance in terms of good representative examples of sand dune ecosystems.” (p13-14)

Parks Canada Assets records indicate ‘Watts Trail construction’ took place in 1982. In the years since construction on the trail was undertaken, minor repairs were periodically carried out as a result of routine inspections carried out by Parks Canada in order to ensure visitor safety.

In the years since the preliminary master plan of 1977 and trail construction in 1982, Parks Canada has undertaken several management planning and review processes (in 1986, 1998, 2007 and 2017) and the following themes have been present and have been built upon with each successive plan:

• special protection and careful management consideration is warranted in Zone 1 areas;
• the Park area is a dynamic resource, and that today’s configuration may be different from the environment of tomorrow, so the general management strategy for the physical resources of the Park is one of letting nature take its course;
• current and future management practices of Parks Canada will allow the naturally occurring processes to occur unimpeded, so where existing facilities are threatened by erosion, their need will be evaluated; and
• planning for infrastructure will take into consideration the effects of ongoing, evolving natural processes.

The 1998 PEI National Park Management Plan further emphasized the priority of strengthening the ecological integrity of the park’s resources, as well as rehabilitation and restoration of sites:

• “As directed by the Parks Canada policy, preservation as unimpaired natural areas is the key consideration for these (Zone I Special preservation) sites.” “Only limited facilities such as low-impact footpaths may be permitted.” (p14)
• “The natural processes of erosion and dune migration will be carefully considered in planning for the future replacement of facilities.” (p26)

Actions to maintain and restore ecological integrity were a primary focus of the 2007 PEI National Park Management Plan. Restoration of disturbed sites is outlined as an important component of maintaining and restoring ecological integrity. This plan begins to outline management direction and decision making related to reducing development footprint within the park through restoration of disturbed sites and the removal of visitor facilities that have reached the end of their serviceable life so these areas can be restored to natural conditions. (p16)

The most recent PEI National Park Management Plan was prepared in 2017 following extensive consultation and input from various people and organizations, including: Indigenous Peoples; municipal governments and/or development corporations for communities neighbouring the park; academic institutions; provincial government departments; environmental groups; cultural organizations; provincial and regional tourism associations; recreational groups; lease and license holders; local and regional residents; visitors and Parks Canada staff. This plan emphasizes the importance of focussing on “long term natural and cultural conservation gains, address[ing] aging infrastructure” and the incorporation of climate change research and predictions into management decisions.

The 2017 plan includes the stated objective that “coastal erosion is managed by restoration and retreat as a first priority.” (p8) The plan describes “zoning [as] an important management tool to support the park vision by directing visitors to use appropriate areas of the park, and ensuring that rare, sensitive ecological or cultural areas are protected”, (p10) and specifies the “excellent primary and secondary dune systems at Dalvay [and] bog habitat in the Dalvay sector” as Zone I. (p11)

Now, more than ever, Parks Canada understands how vulnerable PEI National Park’s coastal ecosystem is and how important it is as a natural barrier to climate change. Protecting sand dunes in PEI National Park is a priority for Parks Canada. Sand dunes are an important natural habitat for various species and act as a protective natural barrier, protecting communities from the effects of storms and waves. Parks Canada is working to reduce the number of coastal access points that fragment the continuity of the dunes, and to reduce human impact in the dune environment. For example, just last year a viewing platform that had historically been available to visitors in the Greenwich dune system was decommissioned.

As Parks Canada gathers more evidence and better understands the vulnerability of the coastal environment to the increasing impact and severity of storms from climate change, our commitment and resolve for protecting the dunes in the park has strengthened and our decision making must reflect what science shows us about these sensitive areas in the park. The Zone I area around Watts Road is sensitive and Parks Canada has acknowledged this since the first management plans were tabled; however, with the information we now have available regarding climate change and the important role the dunes have to play, we need now to do things differently than we have in the past.

Conservation and protection of ecological integrity for all Canadians

Parks Canada has a legislated mandate to protect ecological integrity, and to improve the ecosystem health of PEI National Park. One way of achieving this is to improve the integrity of the coastal ecosystem. In protecting coastal areas, we improve the resilience of the park and the coastline to climate change impacts such as increased coastal erosion, shorefront loss, and inland flooding. Climate change impacts to Parks Canada-administered places are complex, and the Agency is committed to integrating climate change mitigation and adaptation actions into its work. By protecting and restoring healthy, resilient ecosystems, Canada’s network of protected areas form part of a natural solution for climate change.

Also, since the time when Prince Edward Island National Park was established, Parks Canada’s primary mandate has shifted to prioritize conservation, protection and ecological integrity. Wetland ecosystems provide an important food source for species at risk, including species such as Bank Swallows, Northern Myotis, and Little Brown Myotis, which are known to utilize open coastal wetlands for foraging. These species were not designated Species at Risk at the time when boardwalk construction took place (early 1980s), but Parks Canada updates the approach to habitat conservation as more is learned about Species at Risk and the landscapes they require to thrive. As a result, infrastructure and where it was placed in the past may no longer be advisable in light of the latest coastal ecosystem science and climate change vulnerabilities.

The existing boardwalk at Watts Road has reached the end of its lifecycle and presents a visitor safety concern. Given the state of disrepair, and that it intersects a special preservation zone wetland and cranberry bog, replacing infrastructure in this protected area does not appear to align with Parks Canada’s mandate and the Agency’s commitment to protect ecological integrity. The removal of this infrastructure will support improvement of the integrity of PEI National Park’s coastal ecosystem overall, and improve the resilience of the national park coastline to climate change impacts such as increased coastal erosion and inland flooding.

Parks Canada is accountable to Canadians and has a legislated mandate and commitment to protect ecological integrity. The Agency receives the support and confidence of the public because we protect these areas for all Canadians.

We understand that coastal access is important to residents of Watts Road for a number of reasons. We support the continued provision of pedestrian coastal access at Watts Road in a way that reflects our legislated mandate and the zoning in this area of PEI National Park.

During the spring and summer, visitors to places administered by Parks Canada should be prepared for biting insects such as blackflies and mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are attracted to heat and carbon dioxide from exhaling and also through visual cues. In order to protect themselves from mosquito bites, visitors can cover up, wear light coloured clothing (mosquitoes are attracted to dark colours) or use insect repellent.

Mosquitoes are most abundant in cooler, shady parts of the forest; are common in areas with calm, standing water; and are most active at dawn and dusk. While often considered a nuisance by visitors, mosquitoes are an important food source for avian aerial insectivores (including Species at Risk).

Parks Canada does not apply pesticides to control biting insects in protected areas as these can have negative effects on ecosystems.

The Watts Road area of PEI National Park is home to a sensitive and rare ecosystem, including a cranberry bog and wetland that has been flagged as an area of concern for protection. Wetland habitats are sensitive to human activities and even minimal disturbance can result in negative impacts. As outlined in the 2017 PEI National Park Management Plan, and all prior management plans, PEI National Park at Watts Road is a Zone I Special Preservation Area. Zone I is the most protected category in the Parks Canada zoning system in PEI National Park.

During the summer and early fall of 2021, Parks Canada undertook an exercise to review the requirement to decommission the Watts Road boardwalk and ensure that all potential options and implications were being considered. The outcomes of this exercise suggest that replacing the current boardwalk is not likely possible given the ecological sensitivity of this area and the Agency’s legislated mandate to protect these areas for all Canadians.

Parks Canada has a legislated mandate to protect ecological integrity, and to improve the ecosystem health of PEI National Park. One way of achieving this is to improve the integrity of the coastal ecosystem. In protecting coastal areas, we improve the resilience of the park and the coastline to climate change impacts such as increased coastal erosion. Climate change impacts to Parks Canada-administered places are complex, and the Agency is committed to integrating climate change mitigation and adaptation actions into its work. By protecting and restoring healthy, resilient ecosystems, Canada’s network of protected areas form part of a natural solution for climate change.

The removal of this boardwalk infrastructure will support improvement of the integrity of PEI National Park’s coastal ecosystem overall, and improve the resilience of the national park coastline to climate change impacts such as increased coastal erosion and inland flooding.

Parks Canada is accountable to Canadians and has a legislated mandate and commitment to protect ecological integrity. The Agency receives the support and confidence of the public because we protect these areas for all Canadians. Parks Canada invests in infrastructure in a way that is informed by coastal and climate change vulnerabilities, that protects ecological integrity and that will best benefit the Canadian public’s safe use and enjoyment of these treasured places.