Body: Council Type: Document Meeting: Committee Date: 2019 Collection: Agenda Attachments Municipality: Frontenac County
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Document Text
Report 2019-XXX Committee Information Report To:
Chair and Members of the Community Development Advisory Committee
From:
Richard Allen, Manager of Economic Development
Date of meeting:
November 14, 2019
Re:
Community Development Advisory Committee – Heart Lake Social Media Photo Destination
Recommendation This report is for information only. It is intended to inform the committee with regard to the impacts of Social Media and solicit discussion and advice with regard to the phenomenon. Background To celebrate Valentine’s Day in early 2018, the County of Frontenac posted to Instagram a photo of “Heart Lake,” a heart shaped lake located in the Township of North Frontenac. Over time, this photo and its location have been shared on a variety of popular social media accounts, inspiring others to travel to the region to capture their own version of the shot. Some examples from Instagram include: https://www.instagram.com/p/B3pzWhbJUbM/ https://www.instagram.com/p/B4MAogcFDL1/ https://www.instagram.com/p/BpLKW28lI1i/ https://www.instagram.com/p/B4GTZIuAXJf/ https://www.instagram.com/p/B3xTGvlnEDG/
Comments On October 23, Frontenac County staff received a communication from a resident of North Frontenac Township outlining concerns with the steady number of social media photographers flocking to Heart Lake. This lake is located on Crown Land, but there is no easy access to its shore. The resident had two key concerns:
- That visitors looking for the lake were trespassing on nearby properties, and even launching their drones from docks located on those private properties and then flying them in close proximity to dwellings and other structures.
- That visitors were wandering through the woods on crown lands that are also frequented by individuals engaged in legal hunting activities, resulting in a public safety issue. After speaking with the resident, staff determined that a “Public Service Announcement” may be helpful to make visitors aware of the concerns regarding private property and safety, especially during the fall when hunting activities are taking place in the area. The public service announcement was posted on Wednesday, October 23 to Instagram and Facebook and has fueled many comments and conversations online, with the original posts being shared by hundreds of accounts. This, in turn has attracted media attention with stories being published. Some examples include: Ottawa Citizen: “Instagrammers not welcome at Frontenac’s picture-perfect Heart Lake” BlogTO: “This heart-shaped lake in Ontario is warning Instagrammers not to visit” Narcity: “Heart Lake Locals are Going To War With Instagrammers” CFRA – “Ontario county urging people to stay away from Heart Lake” CBC Ontario Morning CTV National News Global News Crown Land Access Most Crown land is available for public recreational use at no cost. The province provides guidelines with regard to these activities. The Township of North Frontenac manages crown lands for camping and recreational purposes on a seasonal basis through a permit granted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, however currently none of these lands include the region near Heart Lake. Considering the popularity of the lake, staff spoke with Corey Klatt, Manager of Community Development with the Township of North Frontenac to consider potential solutions for safe access. Mr. Klatt is also responsible for the township crown lands management program, which includes certain access roads, trails and camping Information Report to Community Development Advisory Committee Heart Lake Social Media Destination November 14, 2019
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activities. Mr. Klatt indicated that municipal management of the access road would be cost prohibitive, and that his crown lands team already are at capacity for the management of the existing program. At this time, additional responsibilities for new trails or infrastructure on crown lands are not possible. Communication from Mr. Klatt confirming this is included with this report, Staff will continue to monitor Instagram and other social media channels to further understand whether the popularity of this small lake will continue to attract visitors from across the province. Strategic Priorities At its meeting on June 19, 2019, County Council approved Frontenac County Strategic Plan 2019-2022. This project is aligned with the intent of the priorities listed below. Priority 1.2: Refine and invest in efforts to accelerate economic development — to grow businesses, attract more visits and expand the tax base. Priority 3: Champion and coordinate collaborative efforts Financial Implications Staff are seeking direction to explore possibilities for providing access, and will report back to Council with options. This exploration stage has no financial implications. Organizations, Departments and Individuals Consulted and/or Affected Regional Tourism Organization 11 Township of North Frontenac Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Information Report to Community Development Advisory Committee Heart Lake Social Media Destination November 14, 2019
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Richard Allen From: Sent: To: Subject:
Corey Klatt Recreation@northfrontenac.ca November 7, 2019 2:32 PM Richard Allen RE: Heart Lake
Flag Status:
Flagged
Hi Richard. It was a pleasure speaking with you this afternoon and to have an opportunity to catch up. As discussed, unfortunately we have 3 trails that we currently try to maintain but we are having a really difficult time keeping up. Unfortunately at this time it would not be feasible for us to maintain another trail. The other issue for us is that the road leading to Heart Lake (Hydro Lane) is not a Twp owned road (with the exception of about 250 metres) and is not maintained by North Frontenac. It is maintained privately so I think if we begin to encourage people to attend Heart Lake it would cause a lot of issues for the group who pays to maintain the road currently. As discussed there are many other attractions that are convenient and safe for residents and visitors to experience in North Frontenac that are feasible at this time that people can enjoy (as nice or nicer than Heart Lake) without trespassing or being in unsafe situations (ie, wandering around the bush in hunting season, etc..). Thanks again for the conversation today. Have an excellent afternoon. Corey
Corey Klatt, Dipl.M.A. Manager of Community Development Township of North Frontenac 6648 Road 506, Plevna, ON, K0H 2M0 1-800-234-3953 or 613-479-2231 Ext. 233 recreation@northfrontenac.ca
From: Richard Allen [mailto:rallen@FRONTENACCOUNTY.CA] Sent: Thursday, November 7, 2019 8:46 AM To: Corey Klatt Recreation@northfrontenac.ca Subject: RE: Heart Lake
Can we chat around 10:30? Richard Allen Manager of Economic Development Frontenac County 613.483.9767 On Nov 7, 2019, 8:23 AM -0500, Corey Klatt Recreation@northfrontenac.ca, wrote:
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From: Richard Allen [mailto:rallen@FRONTENACCOUNTY.CA] Sent: Wednesday, November 6, 2019 2:01 PM To: Corey Klatt Recreation@northfrontenac.ca Subject: FW: Heart Lake
Hey Corey,
I’m wondering if we can’t do something to make this site more freely accessible, maybe seek some dollars for a hiking trail / viewing platform and create an agreement with MNR? I know it isn’t as easy as it sounds, but this problem likely won’t go away.
Richard
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