Temporary sand dune in place at West Point Lighthouse

Visitors to the West Point Lighthouse and Cedar Dunes Provincial Park in western P.E.I. are coming across something they may not be expecting a temporary sand dune.

Shane Arbing, manager of P.E.I.'s provincial parks,says a storm in November "decimated" the dunes at the West Point Lighthouse, and took away the boardwalk.

In May, park officials came up with a temporary fix, "to make it a little more user-friendly," said Arbing. They replaced much of thesand and installed about 200 concrete blocks to replace the missing dunes.

The blocks are intended to keep the sand pile off the road.

No grass has been planted

The sand is intended to provide some protection to the beach, and to make it look better.

No planting of marram grass or other vegetation has taken place.

A private consulting group is now working on a more permanent fix. Its report is expected in the next four to six weeks.

The local West Point Development Corporation is also being consulted.

The improvised solution has not affected tourism in the area, said Kim MacDonald, general manager of the West Point Lighthouse Inn and Museum.

"Tourism is up huge this year. Tours are up 30 per cent," she said. "We haven't seen these numbers ever. It's great."

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