MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Fall 2017

FALL 2017 ML BLUE 85 C ertainly, if people are the architects of change, then people will work to implement change that impacts the Escarpment positively. Organizations such as the Bruce Trail Conservancy, Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, Ontario Parks and the various Conservation Authorities have succeeded in this work. There are those who have offered insights into what a sustainable future for the Escarpment might be: organizations and people that have stepped up to elicit positive change along the Escarpment. These include the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association (BPBA), a community-based volunteer organization committed to sustainable development and raising awareness about the Bruce Peninsula—home of the largest contiguous forest tract in southern Ontario. Recognizing that the karst topography in their backyards has the highest concentration of rare species in Canada, the BPBA has stepped forward to tackle issues of stewardship (through the preparation of a stewardship plan), wetland conservation, soil erosion, invasive species removal, ecological monitoring and the repair of outdated septic systems, all in the absence of a Conservation Authority. They have even implemented a program to keep cattle out of watercourses through the construction of solar-powered water pumps. In the Collingwood area, another volunteer community group, the Blue Mountain Watershed Trust Foundation, has become the de facto stewards of this area and work to prevent the Escarpment from being loved to death due to pressures from recreational, residential and commercial activities. The BMWTF raises awareness on the importance of streams, wetlands and other natural heritage within the watershed and has volunteered to monitor water quality and pollution in these same streams. Further south, the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System is a collaborative initiative, an unprecedented partnership, of nine organizations with the goal of protecting, connecting and restoring natural lands in the Greenbelt at the western end of Lake Ontario, one of the most biologically rich areas in Canada. Three municipalities (Burlington, Hamilton, Halton Region), two Conservation Authorities (Halton and Hamilton), three non-profits (Bruce Trail Conservancy, Hamilton Naturalists’ Club and Royal Botanical Gardens) and one university (McMaster) are all partners in the initiative that has acquired 230 acres of land for permanent protection and are actively engaged in stewardship with local landowners. The Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy has purchased land along the Niagara Escarpment and to date has a network of 140 nature reserves totalling 46 square kilometres of protected space. This includes properties still held in private hands and those where conservation agreements prevent lands from being developed. Groups like the Owen Sound Field Naturalists and Hamilton Field Naturalists’ Club educate all age groups about their ‘backyard’ escarpments via on-the- ground education programs, public outreach, speaker series and publications. The Escarpment Project has a massive annual clean-up of the Escarpment near Hamilton. The Giant’s Rib Escarpment Education Network (GREEN) tells the story of the Escarpment through education talks and discovery centres. There are many more ‘Friends of’ groups: like-minded organizations and citizens connected to the Niagara Escarpment as a place worth protecting. A buy-in from industry will also be critical to a sustainable future for the Niagara Escarpment. This has already started within the farming communities. The ALUS program, which provides financial incentives to farmers who support ecological services on their properties, has now expanded into Grey and Bruce Counties. A promising new initiative called the Cornerstone Standards Council (CSC) brings together members of the aggregate sector, environmental leaders and community members to encourage socially and environmentally responsible aggregate extraction in Ontario. They have developed a Responsible Aggregate Standard, a consensus based agreement that includes a requirement for operators to stay out of areas of high conservation value. Consumers can now purchase CSC-certified aggregate and be confident that it was extracted according to this standard. Dufferin Aggregates, a Division of CRH Canada Group Inc., was the first company awarded certification for the license on their quarry in Acton. Apart from the landform itself, the ancient cliff-face cedar forest is the most enduring Escarpment feature. These ancient trees provide us with some solace in a rapidly evolving world. In 1,000 years, their continued presence will mean that the Niagara Escarpment has persisted with them. But this won’t be evidence enough. It will take generations of dedicated persons to ensure that the surrounding ecosystem and its unique landscape persist in the minds and hearts of Ontarians. Based on the existing myriad of individuals and groups engaged with the Niagara Escarpment’s protection, there are good reasons to be optimistic that the forces are already working well to ensure a sustainable future. A new initiative called the Cornerstone Standards Council (CSC) brings together members of the aggregate sector, environmental leaders and community members to encourage socially and environmentally responsible aggregate extraction in Ontario.