Short Story
Please help us to preserve the ecological integrity of the Forks of the Credit area, the Heart of the Headwaters, by protecting our water, land, and air. A Brazilian conglomerate wants to develop a massive blasting quarry in the area. This quarry would excavate below the water table blasting quarry, over 80 feet deep, on a 700 acre site – the size of 350 football fields! – of prime agricultural land and woodlands.
Preserving the Forks of the Credit
Story
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- Cycling the Elora-Catarct Trailway
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- Local Farmland
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- Part of the proposed quarry area as it is today
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- Flyfishing in the Credit River
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- Hiking Forks of the Credit Park
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- Brook Trout
Caledon is a beautiful area of rolling hills, forests, farmland, rivers and lakes. Located in the heart of Ontario’s Greenbelt and the Greenlands System in Peel Region, it is a destination for visitors looking for time in nature and pristine green spaces. The Forks of the Credit is an environmentally sensitive area, close to the Credit River and the Niagara Escarpment, a designated World Biosphere Reserve.
This area of the Credit River is one of the optimal habitats for Brook trout (a Species at Risk) in all of southern Ontario. Originally known as the Missinnihe River, it has long been and continues to be a culturally and environmentally significant river. The river and the communities that border it will be impacted the entire 150 km all the way to Lake Ontario.
We need your help to ensure this area is not jeopardized by a Brazilian conglomerate’s proposed quarry. If approved, the project will use explosives to blast into the aquifer below the water table and pump the rising water into the Credit River. Because blasting and excavation will occur below the water table, continuous pumping of millions of litres of water from the quarry floor will be necessary.
Over 50 acres of woodlands – 60,000 mature trees – would be destroyed. The wetlands and riparian and wild habitats for many creatures would be devastated. This imperils several species at risk, including brook trout, little brown myotis, chorus frogs, bobolinks, Eastern meadow larks and red-headed woodpeckers.
With the community’s support, we have distributed hundreds of “Say No” lawn signs locally and into the GTA. Over 1,300 Objection letters have been sent to CBM/St Marys and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. We have hired several experts in disciplines such as Hydrogeology, Natural Heritage, Air Quality, Land Use Planning, and Environmental Law. We have met with our politicians, local, provincial and federal.
All of these efforts will continue to require considerable funding and volunteer resources.
We can’t do this alone.
PLEASE DONATE NOW.
Note: To amplify your impact on the project, consider contributing $200 or more through electronic fund transfer or cheque. If you would like to learn more, please contact sarahc@smallchangefund.ca.
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Preserving the Forks of the Credit
1,688!
Can you believe it?
That is not just a number; that’s a community of passionate advocates coming together to protect the Heart of the Headwaters.
That is how many wonderful supporters sent in formal Objections to the proposed Caledon mega-quarry.
A diverse spectrum of people stepped up to make sure their voices were heard:
from local residents who want to protect the Heart of the Headwaters,
to family members who had grown up locally and moved West,
from fishers and conservationists concerned about the Credit River,
to hikers and cyclists who enjoy the peace and quiet in nature,
as well as people who believe aggregate mining doesn’t belong in the Greenbelt
...and so many more.
This is not just an update, it’s a celebration of the multitude of community members who joined so their voices would be heard.
Let’s keep the momentum alive and fight to protect our cherished sanctuary!
