A group representing youth wilderness camps in the Temagami area is urging the province to leave the Wolf Lake Forest Reserve intact. A section of the reserve, located northest of Sudbury, could soon lose its protected status because the Ministry of Natural Resources is looking at opening up 340 hectares of land for mineral exploration.

But Bruce Ingersoll says there are other interests the ministry should consider. Ingersoll is the director of Keewaydin Camps, an organization that takes young people on canoe trips in the Wolf Lake area every year. He noted there are seven other youth camps that also use the forest reserve that contribute $3.5 million to the local economy each year.

"This is not a one-time extraction [or] a one-time financial injection," Ingersoll said.

"If we can preserve this place, we can be doing the same kind of business 100 years from now. That's an important economic factor."

The youth wilderness camps have written a letter with their concerns to the Minister of Natural Resources.

The minister isn't saying when he'll make a decision on opening up the forest reserve for mineral exploration.