Harcourt Park is a non-profit cottaging corporation in Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, composed of 6900 acres (27.9 km²) of land, 18 lakes, and 600 surveyed properties that are individually leased in favour of private ownership. Established in 1959 by the Sumcot Development Corporation, Harcourt Park was designed to provide its residents with the unique opportunity to experience a cottage lifestyle within an unspoiled, protected environment.

Ownership

Ownership of property within the park is titled to Harcourt Park Inc., and is subject to private lease, granting a membership in the corporation, a single vote, and the eligibility to become a member on the volunteer Board of Directors in charge of managing the corporation's business. Annual lease fees are used to provide services within the Park, including road maintenance, fish stocking, community events, and security. Only eight lakes in the Park have cottages, and of them, only four permit motorized watercraft: Big Straggle Lake, Little Straggle Lake, Allen Lake, and Kennaway Lake. Personal watercrafts such as Jetskis and SeaDoos are prohibited.

Facilities and trails

The Harcourt Park General Store and Marina, located on Little Straggle Lake, serves as a local grocery store, hardware store, gas station, and marine mechanic. Nearby, the Harcourt Park Community Center serves cottagers' many recreational and social needs. A network of over 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) worth of trails extends its way through Harcourt Park, including the northern terminating end of the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs’ "E" Trail.

Environment

Harcourt Park is a part of the Haliburton Hills topographical region of Ontario. Situated along the edge of a watershed

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

, spring and rain water are exclusively fed into its lakes, which empty into either the Trent River

Trent River (Ontario)

The Trent River is a river in southeastern Ontario which flows from Rice Lake to empty into the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario. This river is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway which leads to Georgian Bay. The river is 90 km long...

 or the Ottawa River

Ottawa River

The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...

 systems. Due to extensive logging of the region in the early portion of the twentieth century, the majority of Harcourt Park's interior is newgrowth maple; along with a scattering of fir, hemlock, cedar, and birch. Wildlife within the Park is extensive and diverse because of its proximity to Algonquin Park and its relative isolation, and includes black bear

American black bear

The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...

s, moose

Moose

The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...

, white-tailed deer

White-tailed Deer

The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...

, coyote

Coyote

The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...

s, otter

Otter

The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....

s, beaver

Beaver

The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...

s, and a number of other smaller mammals, birds, insects and reptiles. A variety of fish are found within the Park's various lakes, including smallmouth bass

Smallmouth bass

The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...

, largemouth bass

Largemouth bass

The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...

, rock bass

Rock bass

The rock bass , also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, or red eye is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. They are similar in appearance to smallmouth bass but are usually quite a bit smaller...

, lake trout

Lake trout

Lake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char , touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, they can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbellies and leans...

, and rainbow trout

Rainbow trout

The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....

. Harcourt Park is protected from further cottage development and owns all logging rights, ensuring the natural habitats within it remain protected.

Location

Harcourt Park is located near the small Village of Harcourt along the remote northeastern border of Haliburton County

Haliburton County, Ontario

Haliburton is a county of Ontario, Canada, known as a tourist and cottage area in Central Ontario for its scenery and for its resident artists. Minden Hills is the county seat. Haliburton County was established in 1983, but had existed as the Provisional County of Haliburton since 1874...

, with the Town of Bancroft

Bancroft, Ontario

Bancroft is a town located on the York River in Hastings County in the Canadian province of Ontario.- History :In 1853 the first pioneer family settled in the area, and over the next 15 years the settlement grew quickly, as another 88 families followed...

 being the closest nearby community with a population exceeding one thousand. Harcourt Park is approximately 240 kilometres (149.1 mi) northeast of Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, and approximately 250 kilometres (155.3 mi) west of Ottawa

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

.