Greenwich park visitors greeted by changes

Changes at the National Park in Greenwich, P.E.I., have been confusing some park visitors this year.

For the first time since the Greenwich section of the park opened in 2001, the entrance kiosk is not staffed. Instead, a sign instructs visitors to buy a park pass and display it on their car window.

"It says that you need a pass, but where do you get it?" asked visitor Josée Renaud at the park on Wednesday. "I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go."

Visitors have to buy passes at the interpretive centre, located half a kilometre away. Parks officials issue friendly reminders to those who haven't complied, instructing those visitors to pay as they leave.

Frances Gertsch of Parks Canada said the changes were made in an effort to have more interaction between staff and visitors.

"One of the things we've heard from national polls and other surveys is that visitors really like to interact with knowledgeable Parks Canada staff, which is really hard when you're in your vehicle and they're in a kiosk," Gertsch explained.

"We're trying this as a pilot — to get our staff out where visitors are, where they can rove and interact with you when you're at the beach or on the trail."

A number of visitors at the park Wednesday didn't like the idea.

"We just thought it was very bizarre, that's all," said Vivienne Filiatreault. "We just looked around and said, where is everyone?"

Adam Fletcher agreed the new system caused a bit of a hassle.

"I was a little surprised that there was no one down there," he said. "We had to turn around, come back and get parking."

Parks Canada has also trimmed the number of weeks the interpretative centre will be open this year.

The centre received an average of eight visitors a day last June and 20 visitors a day in September. As a result, it opened two weeks later this year and will close two weeks earlier.

Visitation declining

Visitation to the National Park at Greenwich has been on a steady decline. There were 44,697 visitors five years ago, compared with only 32,572 last year.

When the park opened, Parks Canada had been worried about the impact of traffic on the delicate ecosystem. They limited visitors to 75,000 people a year, but overcrowding hasn't been an issue.

Parks Canada isn't sure why the number of visitors has been falling, but officials say they're working to promote the park better.