MANAGEMENT PLANS FOR THE COOTES PARADISE & BORER'S FALLS-ROCK CHAPEL HERITAGE LANDS

Thank you to everyone who attended the public open house on April 4, 2018 and provided comments on the draft Inventory, Opportunities and Issues reports and draft Land Classification and Zoning reports for both the Cootes Paradise and Borer's Falls - Rock Chapel Heritage Lands.

The summary from the open house is included below:

MANAGEMENT PLANS FOR THE CLAPPISON-GRINDSTONE & WATERDOWN-SASSAFRAS WOODS HERITAGE LANDS

 Management Plans for the Clappison-Grindstone Heritage Lands and Waterdown- Sassafras Woods Heritage Lands have been developed in order to provide a cohesive and holistic management framework for the partner-owned properties. Community and stakeholder engagement was an important aspect of this plan development and implementation. The final Management Plans (January, 2017) are included below. Drafts of the Management Plans were reviewed by a Steering Committee, Stakeholder Advisory Committee and by members of the public who provided feedback at two public meetings. Thank you to all those who volunteered their time to provide feedback on these plans.

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CG-WS HERITAGE LANDS INVENTORY, OPPORTUNITIES & ISSUES REPORTS

Below you will find the final Inventory, Opportunities and Issues reports for the Clappison-Grindstone and Waterdown-Sassafras Woods Heritage Lands (October, 2015). These reports provide a thorough inventory of the natural heritage, recreational and cultural resources of the partner-owned lands, and identify their respective management issues. Later reports will provide land classification and zoning and present management recommendations.

These reports have been reviewed by the Steering Committee and Stakeholder Advisory Committee for the Clappison-Grindstone and Waterdown-Sassafras Woods Heritage Lands Management Plans and feedback was provided by the public at a meeting held November 17th at the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Here you can download the reports and documents produced during Phase I (background research and consultation 2007-2008), Phase II (development of the vision, 2009-2010), and Phase III (implementation steps, 2010-2013). Reports are arranged below in reverse chronological order of completion (most recent first).

Cootes to Escarpment Park System: Phase III

In Phase III, the partners began implementing the recommended actions in the Phase II report and more generally working to realize the vision for a new park system articulated in the Phase II report.

One output of the work in Phase III is the Cootes to Escarpment Park System Land Securement Strategy, which was finalized in late 2011.

Cootes to Escarpment Park System: Phase II

Phase II of the Cootes to Escarpment Park System Project was the formulation of our strategic vision.

Cootes to Escarpment Park System Conservation and Land Management Strategy (November 2009)

The Cootes to Escarpment Park System Conservation and Land Management Strategy report summarizes the recommendations from our consultations with stakeholders, the general public and specialists working for conservation land owning agencies about how the park system could be organized. It was made available in draft form for consultation and comment by the public at our Open House in February, 2009 (see below), and our Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting in April, 2009. Editorial work and layout was completed and the final version of the report released in November 2009 as Cootes to Escarpment Park System Conservation and Land Management Strategy, which is often referred to as the Phase II report.

The high resolution maps that accompany the Phase 2 report can be obtained on the maps website.

Open House Colour Brochure

A main purpose of the study was to capture and develop a vision for the natural lands in our area to serve both recreational and conservation/biodiversity purposes. In February 2009 we prepared a colour brochure for our open house to begin to express that vision in an accessible and exciting way.

Cootes to Escarpment Park System: Phase I

Phase I of the project involved collection of background information on cultural, environmental and economic conditions in the study area. Guided by the Steering Committee, this phase was completed primarily through a literature review undertaken by project staff. The collected information is provided in the Phase I background report (January 2008).

The maps that accompanied the Phase I report can be obtained on the maps webpage.