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Drano
05-30-2008, 02:47 AM
Cottage-goers could start changing habits amid soaring gas prices
Lauren Krugel, THE CANADIAN PRESS
May 26, 2008
CALGARY - As far as Terry Rees can tell, high gas prices have not stopped city folk from fleeing to their cottages in droves each weekend.
But the head of the Federation of Ontario Cottagers' Associations said it won't be long before people start changing their habits in order to cope with the soaring cost of fuel.
"I think that there is still a strong desire for people to be out of urban areas ... regardless of the fact that it's now that much more expensive. It's something that's deeply ingrained in a lot of people," Rees said.
"I think it's just going to take some time before people start to see the impact on their household budgets. The gas part of their household budget is going to more and more start to stick out like a sore thumb."
While weekend getaways will continue to be a key part of the Canadian summer experience, Rees says he expects people to begin gravitating toward more cost and fuel-efficient recreation.
"There will be some moderation of people's choices in terms of maybe how many trips they're taking or the kind of activities they undertake at the lake," he said.
Cutting fuel consumption certainly helps in the cost-saving department. But Rees also said that behaviour helps preserve the natural environment around cottage-country.
"There's lots of fun activities that are out there that are cost effective, better for our health and don't use any fossil fuels and that includes hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, sailing," Rees said.
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"I think maybe there's some deeply ingrained recreational attitudes in people's heads and over time it's going to change ... We have to make different and sometimes better choices."
Discover Boating's Tracey Hart said there are some simple things boaters can do to save fuel, like going at a steady speed, turning off the engine while docked, and making sure the craft is outfitted with the right propeller and the right engine.
But Hart said the high cost of gasoline probably won't make a dent in the number of motor boats on the lake this summer.
The average boater will use the same amount of gasoline in an entire summer that it would take to fill up their SUV three times. she said.
"With boating, generally speaking, you don't have your engine running all the time when you're doing it," she said.
"Most regular boaters wouldn't find that to be impacting their decision to spend their time boating."
More and more boats with so-called "four-stroke" engines are coming out, which are cleaner burning and more fuel efficient, Hart said. :wave: :wave: