Selkirk Provincial Park
R.R.#1
Selkirk, Ontario N0A 1P0
Tel. 905-776-2600

Beginning of May to beginning of October (please if in doubt)

Another beautiful Provincial Park which we have discovered on Lake Erie. As usual, cottages are not offered here. I believe none of the Provincial Parks wants to get so commercialized which is a good decision.
If you travel along Lake Erie and need a break, stop here and purchase a day pass. Enjoy the great nature and the shallow warm water of the lake.
We plan to use our little tent and stay here for a few days in 2009.
We are both attracted by the marsh area and want to explore that with a rented boat. Elizabeth, my wife, is an animal lover and certainly she will take many pictures of birds and all the other creatures which we will discover here.

My first visit of the Selkirk Provincial Park was beginning of June.
I was so pleased that I came back with Elizabeth who loved it also immediately. We were told that swimming was only banned two times in the past 18 years.
This is an excellent record compared to other areas of Lake Erie.
We also did not see any anybody demonstrating their skills on a power boat close the beach. The shallow water is obviously the reason for that.
This is good for children, but swimmers have to walk out 50-75 metres to get to the sandbar. Pleas do this carefully, because close th the shore the beach is stoney.
When you approach Selkirk Provincial Park you will see some big chimneys. They belong to a big coal fired power plant. I have been numerous times in this area and never have seen any smoke or smelled anything.
Now everybody is talking about wind power. The first wind turbines have already been installed close to Dunnville and hopefully more will follow.
I am working on a feasibility study to use wind power on the east coast of Newfoundland to produce hydrogen. We have to become more independent from oil supplies from critical regions and should invest more in our countries.

As I already said the beach is stoney. This is typical for many places on Lake Erie.
If you are brave and make it to the deeper section the ground will be sandy. Naturally, the other way would be better - but that is nature.
Canoes and other small boats can be launched her, but you also can rent one. We will add information what kind of animals you can see in the marsh.
Many wetlands have been destroyed in the past. Now many people and organizations do lots of volunteer work to protect them.

Everything looked clean - a sign of good care.
North Americans love to watch birds and take pictures of them. It is a wide spread hobby. Elizabeth became already addicted and feeds them in our garden. The problem is that the colony of stray cats loves them too despite ll the food which she puts out for them.
I think the birds have a pretty good refuge in the marsh - at least they should be save from cats. Also the bird house provide a save home for breeding.
Did you know that we have humming birds in Ontario? I was surprised when I saw the first ones.

Ontario has finally started to protect nature better. The excessive use of pesticides is now questioned and even a "Green Belt" has been created in our area.
In order to achieve a greener environment, eduction is needed as well as laws. Please obey the few restriction in our Provincial Parks.
They are all listed and explained in the little brochure which you get when you enter the park.
You will see when you walk through the park that many people have trailers here which they use either after work or on weekends. Everything is kept clean and nice.
During our two visits it was also always quiet and peaceful.

Almost everywhere something is provided for children. Occasionally I think even it is too much. Children have to learn proper behaviour in the world of adults in time. This applies especially for restaurants when you cannot enjoy a meal because nobody disciplines them.
I believe that the Provincial Parks offer the right balance.
The kids always behaved properly and the parents took good care of them. Then it is a pleasure to watch them playing outdoors and having fun.

Canadians are proud of their country and they are not ashamed to show this all the time - not only at sport events.
Canada is also aware that qualified immigrants are needed and I think our country is very successful in integrating them. Especially in the medical field we would face a disaster without foreign doctors. However, some of the "refuges" jeopardize the good programs. They should not be accepted to stay.
Wherever you come from, Canadians will normally treat you with respect. They are friendly and helpful. Don't be shy to ask anybody if you need help.
It makes vacation or a business trip much more enjoyable when you have some social contacts. I made this experience in many countries.
Obey Canadian laws. For example many things which are normal in Europe are not allowed here. For example, do not walk around with a bottle of beer or wine, if you are invited do not smoke unless your host does it, don't take your top of on the beach etc. Become used that everybody wants to know your first name.

We will visit more Provincial Parks and we will include them in our travel guide. We do not want to replace the official web sites for the park in Ontrio. We just want to show you more pictures and our own expereince.
Use the official web sites in addition to ours.