About half the beach access points to the Prince Edward Island National Park have reopened, but the rest remain closed.
Many accesses were closed after taking serious damage during post-tropical storm Fiona.
Crews have been working on the dune crossings, some of which need to be completely rebuilt, since the storm ravaged P.E.I.’s north shore.
The Shaws Beach access is the most recent to reopen. It joins the Gulf Shore Parkway, Ross Lane Beach, Stanhope Main Beach, Covehead Lighthouse Beach, and North Rustico Beach, which have all reopened.
The Dalvay Beach was one of the hardest hit. The dunes were completely lost. There was so much erosion that a natural stone and sand barrier made to mimic the effects of a natural dune is being built here.
The Cavendish Main and Campground Beaches, Stanhope Campground Beach, Greenwich Beach, Stanhope Cape and Brackley Beach also remain closed.
The beaches themselves are open. It’s the accesses which are closed, so if you want to get on to the beach by an open access, you can walk along the shoreline to the beaches with no access.
What isn’t allowed is crossing the dunes to get to the beach. The minimum fine for doing so is $150.
Officials say the dunes are protected ecosystems and are especially fragile this year, while they recover from the damage caused by Fiona.
On Monday, Parks Canada announced the official season will begin June 6. It’s not clear yet how many more beach accesses will be open then, but officials tell us they will have a clearer idea closer to that opening date.
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