NEC Poised to Allow Motorized Vehicles on Beaver Valley Escarpment Natural Area by Richard Stark
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Winter 2018/19 The Newsletter of the Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club Box 3251 Meaford Ontario N4L 1A5 / www.beavervalleybrucetrail.org NEC Poised to Allow Motorized Vehicles on Beaver Valley Escarpment Natural Area by Richard Stark In what appears to be a first, the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) has given approval in principle for a Development Permit which would allow snowmobiles – and thus increased motorized traffic of all kinds – in a Beaver Valley area which is mostly Escarpment Natural Area, the most ecologically sensitive land use designation. A decision by the NEC in November 2018 would give the go-ahead for the installation of two large culverts along the unmaintained 3rd Line D road allowance, thus permitting the passage of ten-foot-wide snow grooming equipment for snowmobilers, and approving this route as a dedicated snowmobile trail. At press time, staff work was proceeding on the framing of possible conditions to be placed on a Permit. NEC Commissioners are expected to consider draft conditions to be placed on the Permit at their next meeting, on January 17, 2019. NEP policies permit only “non-motorized” trail activities in an Escarpment Natural Area. Approval of the Development Permit turns on the claim that snowmobile traffic was an ongoing, “existing use” at the time of the original approval of the Niagara Escarpment Plan (NEP) in 1985. For decades, the main route of the Bruce Trail traversed the open unmaintained road allowance on the 3rd Line D, framed by Sideroad 22C on the south and the maintained portion of the 3rd Line to the north just south of Sideroad 25. This section also provides one leg of the very popular Webwood Falls-Siegerman-Fairmount Side Trail loop. The Main Trail passes through undeveloped lands which are part of the most protected NEP land use designation, the Escarpment Natural Area. The trail crosses a trout spawning stream part way along, and for years there was an old truck trailer forming a “bridge” which by the early 2000’s had been reduced to a rusted-out steel frame somewhat challenging to cross. (In the fall of 2018, BVBTC workers installed a new, NEC-approved, footbridge upstream from that old crossing point and rerouted that part of the Main Trail back to rejoin the 3rd Line, thus removing hikers from the equation.) Sometime in the summer of 2004, the old trailer was pulled out and the road allowance clear-cut and bulldozed into a wide road bed. This type of construction work within the NEP area requires a Development Permit, but the work was done without a permit. During the 2004/05 winter, a signed snowmobile trail was groomed and used extensively by snowmobilers. / … continued on page 4 ... 1 Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club Special Notice Change to Hike Schedule Officers and Support Volunteers To contact the Club, or any of its Officers or Support Volunteers personally, please write to: Information [email protected] “Beaver Tales” no longer in- cludes information about up- and your inquiry will be directed to the right person. coming hikes and special events. Directors President Jill Smith-Brodie Land Stewardship Vacant Because “Beaver Tales” only Vice-President Vacant Communication & Pub- Margaret comes out three times a year, licity Yaraskavitch hike leaders and other special Past President Ros Rossetti Volunteers & Member- Kelly Killoran events organizers find they have ship difficulty predicting and keeping Trail Activities Glenda Collings Special Events Vacant to a schedule that is so far in the future. Treasurer Mike Arkless BTC-Club Liaison Bruce King Weather, Intervening events, Secretary Ruth Plant Director at Large Alison Carey and life seem frequently to con- Trail Development Bob Hann Director at Large Alan McPherson spire to mess up the schedule — & Maintenance one that seemed so logical just Information Services Vacant Director at Large Joan Nuffield five months back, when we sub- mitted it to the printers! Instead, members are asked to Support Volunteers check the BVBTC website or Fa- Newsletter Editor Joan Nuffield Webmaster Irena Marinko cebook page for hikes and spe- cial events, which are displayed Chainsaw Crew Leader Blain Horsley Archivist Support Fred Young month by month, and with three months‘ worth of information up Motorized Grass Cutting Peter Bryce Land Securement Secre- Jill Smith-Brodie at any given time. Crew Leader tariat Representative Advertising Revenues Steve Griffiths Invasive Species Bob Hann and Managers Joan Nuffield Go to beavervalleybrucetrail.org Emergency contact: For trees down on the Trail, etc., please contact Blain Horsley at info for more information. @beavervalleybrucetrail.org. For assistance with grass cutting on a section of Trail that is accessible by a rider-mower, or to report any other problem with Trail maintenance, please contact Peter Bryce at info @beavervalleybrucetrail.org. Volunteers : Like many volunteer organizations, the Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club is always looking for interested people to serve on the Board, on the Trail, or in other capacities. If you would like to help out, please contact Kelly Killoran at [email protected]. Newsletter Submissions : Are you a hiking addict, a local history buff, a budding auteur, an amateur geologist or naturalist? We would love to print any articles, photos or stories that you send us. Deadline for submissions, Spring Issue: April 15, 2019. Send to Editor of “Beaver Tales” at [email protected]. Get “Beaver Tales” – Electronically: In order for us to save trees and cut our “Beaver Tales” newsletter costs, we are asking mem- bers to sign up for it electronically. Please notify the Editor, or BTC’s Lyndsey Wilkerson at [email protected], if you want to switch to receiving the Newsletter electronically, and she will send you a link to each new issue as it comes out. Thanks! Advertising in “Beaver Tales” : Ad rates for one year (3 issues): Business card size $60; ¼ page $120; ½ page $180. Contact Steve Griffiths for advertising information [email protected]. The Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC): Box 857, Hamilton, L8N 3N9 / 800-665-4453 / 905-529-6821 / Fax 905-529-6832 / www.brucetrail.org / [email protected]. MISSION STATEMENT: Preserving a ribbon of wilderness, for everyone, forever. “The subject who is truly loyal to the Chief Magistrate will neither advise nor submit to arbitrary measures.” Junius 2 President’s Message – Winter 2018-2019 by Jill Smith-Brodie Another year over, and a new one has begun – 2019. I am sure it wasn’t that long ago that 2019 seemed a long way off! As we transition from one year to the next, it is a good time to reflect on the accomplishments of 2018 and on all that we are looking forward to in the year to come. At the April meeting of the Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club’s Board of Directors, our speaker, Beth Gilhespy, presented the 2018 to 2025 BTC Strategic Plan. As a follow -up to her presentation, your Beaver Valley Directors met in June 2018 and August 2018 to review and reformat our own Strategic Plan to be sure the work we do as a Board continues to support the BTC Strategic Priorities, as well to provide direction for Club operations. The final BVBTC Strategic Plan was approved at our October 1, 2018 Board meeting with goals set for the next three operational years: definitely a significant accomplishment. This document is available upon request by emailing [email protected]. In 2018, we undertook the re-organization of two portfolios: Trail Development and Maintenance, and Landowner Relations. In doing this, we shared responsibilities and engaged more of our members. We are proud of, and delighted with, the results. Our zone leaders, chain saw crew, mowing team and flying squad teams have shown a commitment to excellence in their tasks: just look at the new 3rd Line bridge! New projects are in the works that will add to the Trail experience of all those travelling the BV Trails. Our Landowner Ambassador programme was launched last spring and in the months since then our newly minted Landowner Ambassadors have worked to contact their Landowner list, update contact information, establish a plan for calendar and information distribution, and deliver the 2019 calendars to all our Landowners. As a result of this outreach, we had overwhelming participation at our Landowner and Volunteer Celebration evening in October. As 2018 closed, we submitted the updated list of Landowner contact information to the BTC Land Management Team to update their files. Some moments from the 2018 Beaver Valley Bruce Trail season that have stayed with me include the amazing old truck wreck adventure that involved David, Peter, Theresa, and Keith at a property we had recently secured in the Beaver Valley. The wreck was buried in the field, and we needed to get it to the road to be hauled away. I will never forget us all standing around the truck trying to decide how best to go about the task. Dragging was the only answer, so the truck was chained to Keith’s tractor. David and Peter jumped in the truck, Theresa walked ahead through the grass to guide them through the undulating terrain, and I walked behind to make sure nothing untoward hap- pened at that end. Our fears of the truck racing ahead on the downhills were soon laid to rest as we realized all wheels were locked and there was no way this truck would race or could be steered. I can still picture Keith in the tractor, David and Peter in the old truck, side win- dows down and elbows sticking out, while Theresa waved her arms to direct passage. We laughed and cheered when we finally made it to the road. Then there were the visits made to the homes of each Landowner Ambassador (LA).