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Rouge River State of the Watershed Report

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Rouge River State of the Watershed Report Rouge River State of the Watershed Report NatureNature----basedbased Recreation Goal : Opportunities for public enjoyment that are compatible with, and raise awareness of, the watershed’s natural and cultural heritage. NatureNature----basedbased Recreation Key Findings: • There are considerable rural and natural areas in the watershed, especially in Rouge Park, available for public recreational use. Urban development and the concomitant population growth will cause increased pressure on these resources as well as demand for additional resources. • Nature-based recreational opportunities provided in greenspace are important to human health and well-being. However, excessive or inappropriate use can damage environmental health and degrade the experience. • Current monitoring of nature-based recreation is minimal and will require increased resources as demand and use increase. Limited data are available for quantifying recreation use in the Rouge River watershed, except where gate fees are charged. • Toronto Zoo reports 1.2 million visitors per year, Bruce’s Mill Conservation Area annually averages 40,000 visitors, Glen Rouge Campground sees about 7500 campers, and Markham Fair attracts about 70,000 visitors over four days each year. • 13.5% of land in the watershed (4,544 ha) is protected in Rouge Park a. • Existing trails in Rouge Park in Toronto connect to the Lake Ontario Waterfront trail. The Park’s long-term goal is a trail system connecting Lake Ontario to the Oak Ridges Moraine, the inter-regional Oak Ridges Trail system and east-west trail links to the Trans Canada Trail. Summary of Current Conditions Ratings: Objective: Overall Rating • Ensure that recreation activities in the watershed are compatible with ecological and cultural integrity. Fair • Provide opportunities for a variety of appropriate public uses and experiences in representative natural and cultural Good landscapes. • Develop a continuous trail network linking Lake Ontario to the Oak Ridges Moraine, with connections to local Fair communities, neighbouring watershed trail systems and natural and cultural heritage features. “Rouge Park area as of September 2007”. TABLE OF CONTENTS 12.0 NATURE-BASED RECREATION.................................................................................... 12-1 12.1 Introduction................................................................................................................ 12-1 12.2 Understanding Recreational Use in the Rouge River Watershed............................. 12-2 12.3 Measuring Nature-based Recreation ........................................................................ 12-3 12.4 Existing Conditions in the Rouge River Watershed .................................................. 12-4 12.4.1 Recreational Use Areas and Experiences......................................................... 12-4 12.4.2 Trails................................................................................................................. 12-11 12.5 Objectives for Nature-based Recreation ................................................................. 12-14 12.5.1 Ecological Compatibility.................................................................................. 12-14 12.5.2 Opportunities – Variety and Access ................................................................ 12-16 12.5.3 Trails................................................................................................................. 12-17 12.6 Summary and Management Considerations .......................................................... 12-18 12.7 References ............................................................................................................... 12-20 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 12-1: Rouge River Watershed Nature-based Recreational Opportunities and Experiences. .......................................................................................................... 12-5 Figure 12-2: Inter-Regional Trails in the Rouge River Watershed ......................................... 12-12 LIST OF TABLES Table 12-1: Area of Greenspace and Other Public Use Areas by Municipality in the Rouge River Watershed .................................................................................................... 12-4 Table 12-2: Length of Trails in the Rouge River Watershed, by Municipality........................ 12-11 Table 12-3: Rouge Park Trails Network.................................................................................. 12-13 Unique Rouge River Watershed Feature Rouge Park is one of the largest natural environenvironmenmentt parks in an urban area in NNNorthNorth America. CHAPTER NATURENATURE----BASEDBASED RECREATION 121212 12.0 NATURENATURE----BASEDBASED RECREATION 12.1 Introduction The Rouge River watershed is unique among Toronto watersheds because it contains Rouge Park, a large area of protected rural and natural habitats in close proximity to a major city and many growing suburbs. Within and beyond the Park, there are many opportunities for public recreational use in the watershed, through natural areas, trails, agricultural tourism and recreational fishing. Many parts of the watershed provide opportunities for people to come into contact with natural areas. These natural areas in the watershed are highly valued for their aesthetic, social, recreational and spiritual values and they provide opportunities for people of all ages and all cultures to interact with the outdoor environment. Through greater interaction with the outdoor environment, people gain an appreciation for their natural surroundings and are more likely to support watershed protection efforts and have healthier, happier lives. Nature-based recreation focuses on outdoor public recreation activities that depend on healthy, attractive, natural and rural landscapes. These activities include: hiking, cross-country skiing, bird-watching, camping, picnicking, canoeing, horseback riding, swimming and fishing. Other nature-based public uses include scenic drives through rural landscapes or shopping at farm markets. In contrast, more “active” uses such as golf courses and sportsfields are less dependent on a natural setting, as they require more extensive landscape design and ongoing maintenance to support the use. Most active facilities in the watershed are provided by governments (largely local municipalities) or private businesses. While considered in this report, they are not a major focus because they are part of an existing planning and implementation process and are discussed under the sustainable land and resource use chapter. Nature-based recreational activities will be the focus of this report because they rely on, and in turn have significant potential to affect the ecological, cultural and hydrological resources in the watershed. This report further focuses on those nature-based recreational opportunities at a 12-1 regional or watershed scale, while recognizing the important role of the community parks and trail systems provided by local municipalities. 12.2 Understanding Recreational Use in the Rouge River Watershed A 1996 Government of Canada survey revealed that outdoor recreational pursuits are very important to Canadians and that Canadians commit large amounts of their leisure time and resources to access natural areas. More than 70% of new home buyers in the GTA rate proximity to a park, common outdoor area or natural area as important or extremely important in their purchase decisions (J.D. Power and Associates, 2006). Natural areas in and around urban developments in the watershed can satisfy the need for healthy, ‘back-to-nature’ experiences which include exercise, fresh air and quiet, as well as scenic vistas, the challenge and adventure of rugged terrain and the excitement of seeing wildlife. As the populations of the watershed’s municipalities grow (Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal, 2006), there will be increased demand for nature-based recreation throughout the watershed. It will be increasingly important to carefully integrate the human use of natural and rural areas in and near urban areas with care for the non-human inhabitants and ecological and cultural integrity. In particular, it is likely that there will be increased demand for access to public greenspaces b, trails, rural areas and other lower impact, passive outdoor recreational pursuits. The demand for increased public use of the natural areas of the watershed has the potential for unauthorised use and overuse, negatively impacting environmental health and degrading the areas upon which the nature-based recreation experience relies. For example, unplanned or excessive use can lead to trampling of vegetation, soil compaction and erosion. Pet wastes can pollute both the terrestrial system and water quality. Potential hazards to safe use of natural areas occur from inappropriate uses where faster-moving or high-impact uses clash with pedestrians and children, or crime and vandalism pose a threat to life and property. It is necessary that the pursuit of outdoor activities be balanced with the needs of the natural system to allow for the sustainability of those activities. Likewise, it is necessary to properly plan and manage public use to avoid conflict with adjacent landowners. The recreational use of North American trails has more than doubled since 1970, because of population increase and changing age demographics. Unfortunately, trail development has not kept pace with this increase, despite previously unprecedented local, regional, provincial and national
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