Meeting to guide the future of Scanlon Creek / Innisfil

[Spiel]

Meeting to guide the future of Scanlon Creek

Residents urged to attend open house

 

Ian McInroy

February 12, 2008

innisfilexaminer.ca

 

 

BRADFORD — How do you think the Scanlon Creek Conservation Area should be utilized.

 

Innisfil and area residents have an opportunity to voice their favorite features of the property and identify areas for improvement and a vision for the future.

 

The Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) will be holding a public open house on Sunday, Feb. 24 to discuss the future of Scanlon Creek.

 

The open house will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Scanlon Creek Nature Centre, located at 2450 9th Line, Bradford West Gwillimbury.

 

Visitors will be treated to a guided hike through the property and a bonfire with some hot drinks and snacks. They can also try snowshoeing through the area’s extensive system of trails.

 

The open house will conclude with a group discussion on the challenges and opportunities the future holds for the conservation area.

 

“The management plan review is an opportunity to enhance visitor experiences, make the property more accessible to the public and develop a vision to take the conservation area into the future,” said Bill Thompson, conservation lands planner for the LSRCA. “The open house is an opportunity for the public to have their say in how the area will be managed.”

 

Over the next year, LSRCA staff will be working with local residents, conservation area users and interested groups to update the existing management plan for Scanlon Creek Conservation Area. The current management plan was developed in 1979, said Thompson.

 

"Since then, there have been changes in infrastructure, staffing levels, local demographics and shifts in public expectations, all of which have led to new challenges and opportunities," he said.

 

Scanlon Creek Conservation Area is the largest conservation area in the Lake Simcoe Region watershed.

 

It is also home to the E.A. Smith Natural Resources Outdoor Education Centre.

 

With its mix of trails, educational facilities, picnic pavilions and group camping areas, the Scanlon Creek Conservation

 

Area is one of the most heavily used conservation areas in the Lake Simcoe Region watershed, representing 300 hectares of land in Bradford West Gwillimbury.

 

For more information on the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, visit www.lsrca.on.ca, or call 905 895-1281.