Esker Lakes

Location: Esker Lakes Ranger Camp is located in the MNR Kirkland District. The camp is situated on a small and very picturesque lake across from the campgrounds of Esker Lakes Provincial Park.

About the camp: Esker Lakes Ranger Camp consists of nine buildings that accommodate 26 rangers, six staff members and one cook. There is over 40 years experience in the Ranger program between all of the staff members. Each one would be happy to tell you why they continue to return to the program year after year. The accommodations are comfortable and well loved.

Gender: Female Capacity: 22

Work Projects: Rangers work in both Kap-Kig-iwan and Esker Lakes Provincial Parks brushing park trails, posting signs and maintaining campsites. Rangers also work on fish and wildlife projects such as seining the Elk Lake walleye pond to transport walleye to specific lakes to enhance natural walleye populations. As part of a province-wide wildlife food survey, rangers collect data identifying and estimating total numbers of existing plant and tree species in various townships.

Esker Rangers complete work projects with a number of community partners such as North Sun Tree Nursery, Trappers Association, Hills Lake Fish Hatchery, Clear Choices (Englehart Youth Group), Hilliardton Marsh and other ministries such as Northern Development and Mines and Transportation. There are three First Nation communities, Wahgoshig, Matachewan and Beaverhouse, that our rangers provide program information and community clean-up to.

Training and Education: Esker Rangers receive training and education in emergency first aid, Health and Safety, WHMIS, Workplace Discrimination and Harassment Prevention (WDHP), bear awareness, flat water canoe skills, ecological sustainability, Native issues awareness, and using tools.

Other organized educational activities include touring local attractions and resource industries in the Kirkland Lake, Englehart and Cobalt areas. Some examples are: Hollinger Gold Mine tour; Mid-Canada Fiberglass which is a canoe manufacturer; a local dairy farm; and Cheminis Lumber which is a small specialty lumber operation.

Recreation: Relationship building is one of the best loved attributes of the Ontario Ranger Program. At Esker Lakes, rangers will find a number of scheduled recreational activities such as baseball games, themed dinners, movie nights in town or at camp, talent shows, shopping, local tourist attractions and Jamboree just to name a few. There is also time for unscheduled recreation such as the sauna, swimming, fishing, sports, games and more.

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