Electricity proposed for campsites in Kejimkujik

Campers heading to Kejimkujik National Park in Nova Scotia may be able to take more of the comforts of home with them.

Parks Canada wants to run power to about 60 sites at Jeremy's Bay campground by next spring, and perhaps to as many as 160 sites over the next few years.

Currently, there are no electrical hookups at any sites in the park, known for its pristine wilderness and abundant lakes. Other national parks in Canada already have them.

But Kejimkujik officials say they are losing business andneed to make campsites more attractive for recreational vehicles.

"In 2002, we had over 26,000 site nights of use here, and that had declined to 19,000 a year ago. So there has been an increased demand for electricity and we feel providing this service will help us build those numbers back," said Harry DeLong, park superintendent.

In addition to hooking up power, park officials plan to trim back heavy branches and cut down trees in order to widen entrances to some campsites.

Phil DeWolfe, owner of an RV repair company, isn't surprised a lot of RV owners avoid the park.

"The concern of actually damaging these rigs is great because they have rubber roofs on them," he said. "If you hit a stiff tree branch while you're backing up or driving forward, you can actually rip the roof. Some of these roofs can cost up to $6,000 or $7,000 to replace."

Under the proposal, campers would pay about $4 more for one of these upgraded sites, bringing the cost of a night up to nearly $30.

Parks Canada officials hope the proposal makes it through an environmental assessment this fall. If approved, they plan to have workers start digging trenches for the power linessoon after.