Seeking Feedback on Caledon's Cheltenham Badlands: Online Survey and Public Consultation Meetings

CALEDON, ON, Sept. 17, 2015 /CNW/ - The Ontario Heritage Trust and its partners are seeking feedback from the public to help guide conservation at Caledon's Cheltenham Badlands.

Public input and dialogue are an important component of the ongoing Master Planning efforts for the Badlands. The planning team is seeking feedback from the public and people with a connection to the site to learn more about their views, concerns and ideas.

To gather information about visitors' experiences and recommendations for the Cheltenham Badlands, a short survey is available online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/CheltenhamBadlands. There are also opportunities to participate in a series of upcoming public consultation meetings. The first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 13, 2015 in Caledon. For more details about this and future meetings, visit www.heritagetrust.on.ca/badlands.

Earlier this summer, Dillon Consulting Limited was contracted to begin work on the Master Plan for the Cheltenham Badlands. As required under the Niagara Escarpment Plan, this plan will provide for an appropriate balance of resource management, environmental protection and public access to the site. The Master Plan will take several years to develop and implement.

Over the years, increasing numbers of visitors have accelerated the erosion of the sensitive red shale surface of the Cheltenham Badlands, permanently changing its unique appearance. While the Master Planning process is underway, the site has been temporarily closed to visitors to prevent further damage. Sections of the Bruce Trail running through other areas of the property remain open to hikers.

The Cheltenham Badlands is owned by the Ontario Heritage Trust. The Trust works alongside a group of partners to manage the property, including the Bruce Trail Conservancy, the Region of Peel, the Town of Caledon, the Caledon Hills Bruce Trail Club, the Niagara Escarpment Commission, Credit Valley Conservation, the Caledon Environmental Advisory Committee and the Caledon Countryside Alliance.

QUICK FACTS

• The striking landscape of the Cheltenham Badlands is one of Ontario's geological treasures and one of the best examples of badland topography in the province.
• The exposed bedrock at the Badlands is Queenston Shale; this iron-rich shale was deposited over 445 million years ago.
• Due to removal of vegetation during land clearing and livestock grazing in the early 1900s, the shale has eroded into a series of hummocks and gullies, producing the distinctive landscape.
• Today, the Cheltenham Badlands is recognized as a provincially significant Earth Science Area of Natural and Scientific Interest.

LEARN MORE

• Participate in the online survey.
• Find out how you can help to conserve the Cheltenham Badlands, including opportunities to participate in public consultations as part of the Master Planning process.
• Make a donation to support ongoing work at the Badlands.

For questions about the Badlands, contact the Ontario Heritage Trust at 416-325-5000 or [email protected].

The Ontario Heritage Trust is an agency of the Government of Ontario dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage.

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SOURCE Ontario Heritage Trust

Image with caption: "The Ontario Heritage Trust and its partners are seeking feedback from the public, with an online survey and public consultation meetings, to help guide conservation at Caledon's Cheltenham Badlands. (CNW Group/Ontario Heritage Trust)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150917_C1040_PHOTO_EN_499666.jpg

For media inquiries, contact Catrina Colme at 416-325-5074 or [email protected].