Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority Looking for Public Input into Updated Conservation Land Strategy

by Bob Montgomery

The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority is inviting people who use conservation areas and other ABCA properties to complete a survey about the features and facilities they use and what could be done to improve their experience.

ABCA Project Coordinator Kate Monk says the current management plans they have for the land they own are about twenty years old and they know a lot has changed in those twenty years as far as how people use those properties. So they're asking people to tell them how they use those lands today and what improvements they'd like to see. Monk says the authority owns more than 36-hundred hectares of land that's spread throughout their water shed. It includes conservation areas with pavilions and trails, but they also have a huge number of forests that people use for hunting or just for walking and hiking.

Monk says they saw a significant increase in the number of people using their land during the pandemic because that was a safe space for people to enjoy and that's dropped off a little bit, but it's still very solid. She says people are realizing the benefits of being outside, both for their physical health by hiking and things like that but also their mental health by just being in touch with nature. She says they're very happy they can provide that for people and they want to make sure they continue to meet visitors’ needs.

Monk says, through the survey, they're asking people to identify the activities they do on authority properties and which ones they use the most, and then identify some options they'd like to see. Examples of that could be more trails or more accessible trails or more places for picnicking and things like that. Monk says it will always be what they call passive recreation, they're not considering putting up new campgrounds or things like that. She notes that it's important for people to have those green spaces in their neighbourhoods.

The survey can be found at the Conservation Authority web site at ABCA.ca and they're asking people to complete the survey by December 7th. Monk says they will likely be able to complete the survey in less than fifteen minutes