Cape Split Provincial Park in Nova Scotia`s Annapolis Valley has been reopened to the public.
The system of trails has been closed since July 4th to repair damage and clear debris caused by post-tropical storm Arthur.
There had been pressure to open the park earlier at the height of tourism season, but Natural Resources Minister, Zach Churchill, says the most important factor is visitor safety
Churchill says efforts were slowed down by the park`s remote location.
"We moved fast to get Cape Split open again because it's important to local businesses and it's important to all Nova Scotians,” says Churchill. “We heard that this was urgent from the community and we acted appropriately and efficiently and thankfully, we’re ready to get the park open ahead of schedule.”
Over the past five days, a local contracting company has worked long hours carefully cutting down trees, with the work costing almost $20,000.
“It was a bit of a different cleanup, because it was an eight kilometer hike and the damage was scattered throughout it,” says Nova Scotia Parks and Recreation Director Harold Carroll.
While the trail itself has been cleared of downed trees, the damage from post-tropical storm Arthur is still evident along the trail.
“As part of the park, we encourage the natural processes to occur and in this case, the goal from day one was to not remove any of the wood,” says Carroll. “So the wood was cut and the brush was cut and trees land and everything was redistributed along the path.”
The trail is a big draw for tourism and business in the Annapolis Valley, attracting more than 15,000 visitors a year.
Business owner Dee Cook says the temporary closure hurt her business, but it did not take long for the positive effects of the reopening to be felt.
“It’s wonderful, I’m seeing tourists again,” says Cook. “I actually had two sets. I can’t say how much is going to come up in the next couple of days, but it’s only been a day.”
With files from CTV Atlantic's Amanda Debison.
