Re: Kolapore Uplands…

Re: Kolapore Uplands Conservation Reserve

Our house is within close walking distance of the Reserve, where 3 generations of the family enjoy it year-round. In winter, we cross-country ski, thanks to fantastic volunteers who have maintained the cross-country-only trails for 50+ years - especially for safety. Our property market value would be considerably impacted if the cross-country ski trails weren't preserved within the new provincial structure proposed.

Below is a copy of the well-documented submission by our neighbour nearby:

"I'm writing specifically about the proposed Kolapore Uplands
Conservation Reserve. In general, I support the idea of protecting this
area, as I know how special it is. I want a balance between conservation
and responsible recreation.
You likely know the proposed Reserve contains a well-loved 50-km trail
network managed by the Kolapore Wilderness Trails Association (KWTA), a
volunteer organization. These trails, which recently celebrated their
50th anniversary, were initially developed for backcountry cross-country
skiing. KWTA has agreements with landowners, including the province, to
reserve the trails for backcountry skiing in winter. Key trail
volunteers were recognized by The Town of Blue Mountains for their many years of efforts.

Several decades ago, hikers, orienteers and mountain bikers began to use
the area in summer, and it has also become popular with rock climbers.
Some stretches of trail were designated for winter-only use to protect
wetland areas.
In winter, KWTA marks three seasonal snowshoe loops that leave from each
parking lot. In addition, the Bruce Trail passes through the Kolapore
Uplands, allowing year-round access to hikers and snowshoers. A
snowmobile/ATV trail also passes through the area and hunting is
permitted. Thus the area allows multiple types of recreational users,
even though some trails are designated for specific uses.
It is not clear if winter use of the Kolapore Wilderness Trails within
the Conservation Reserve could continue to be limited to skiing, other
than the designated snowshoe, snowmobile and hiking trails mentioned
above. If this restriction were lifted, skiing would no longer be
enjoyable or safe in Kolapore.
In ungroomed backcountry skiing, skiers create their own parallel tracks
in the snow. In Kolapore, the trails are relatively narrow, rocky and
hilly. If there are footprints, bike tracks, snowshoe tracks or dog
tracks, it creates a safety concern - even more so in hilly, rocky
terrain like Kolapore. If other types of users or dogs might be on the
ski trails, it could lead to injury. The things that make Kolapore a
great backcountry ski destination are the large snowfall and the
opportunity to have safe, fun, ski-only trails. This is a rare and
special experience in southern Ontario.
Because the majority of volunteers and donors connected with KWTA are
interested in the unique backcountry ski trails, a change in winter
trail use could also have a serious impact on the ability of the trail
association to continue maintaining the trail network. In addition to
managing the trails, the association hosts special events like moonlight
skis, a loppet and naturalist hikes, it makes and sells a trail map, it
holds insurance for trail use and it funds snow plowing and a
porta-potty at the main parking lot. There are no facilities beyond the
parking areas other than limited trail signage. It is truly a wilderness
experience.
As regular trail users and neighbours sharing a boundary with the
proposed Reserve, our family would like the existing Kolapore Trail
blazing, signage and infrastructure to remain in place. As Association
volunteers, we are willing and eager to participate in the stewardship
of the Kolapore Uplands and its trails.
A continued policy ensuring that cross-country skiing is the only use on
ski trails in winter is essential to providing safe, quality skiing. If
the policy restricting winter use of the Kolapore Trails to skiing
cannot be maintained, I would oppose the Conservation Reserve designation.

COMMENT #2 - a general comment since there are dozens of proposed
protected areas
This proposal is massive - congratulations on all your work. I doubt
there will be significant increases in provincial staff or budget to
manage these new protected areas so the government will need to leverage
existing land stewardship resources.
It's essential that the Ministry partner with groups around Ontario who
already manage and love the different areas that are designated for
protection. The government can make the biggest impact by working with
the people who already care for these areas: "Friends Of..." groups,
mountain bike or ski clubs, trail maintenance volunteers, map makers,
local residents, etc.
These are the people who currently clear fallen branches from trails,
repair boardwalks, post signs, give directions to lost snowshoers and
host naturalist hikes, amongst many other services they provide, often
for free. In many cases, groups hold insurance policies for different
activities in the protected areas. Most of them are volunteers giving
their time and money simply because they love these areas. It benefits
the government if these groups keep doing these things.
The Ministry should not apply "one size fits all" policies to these
protected areas. Some areas offer unique opportunities for backcountry
skiing, mountain biking, hiking, hunting of a particular animal,
orienteering or rock climbing. Some activities are compatible with one
another, and others are not. Each protected area will be a little
different and that's OK. In many cases, local users already have
recreational practices and policies that are working, and the Ministry
should be cautious about making changes that could damage volunteer
relationships or harm long-established, low impact recreational activities.
Bottom line: Please listen to and partner with the Ontarians who know
these lands well.

This proposal assigns a high priority to hunting and, to a lesser
extent, motorized recreation - including in some southern Ontario
locations where public safety issues will be a concern.
While these activities belong in Ontario, it's time for the Ministry to
enter the 21st century and assign an equally high importance to other,
more popular activities. In most cases, non-motorized activities have a
much lower impact on protected areas and require less government
oversight. Among Ontario taxpayers, there are many more hikers than
hunters, for example. It no longer makes sense to assign special
priority to hunting as a recreational activity in provincially protected
areas, other than for indigenous hunters or culls due to overpopulation.
Hunting should join a long list of possible activities ranging from
snowshoeing to mountain biking. In some areas planned for protection,
certain activities are particularly special and the emphasis should be
placed on a unique paddling route, ski trail network or snowmobile trail.
Hunting has an outsized impact compared to the number of participants.
Many recreational activities are compatible with one another but during
certain hunting seasons, other citizens can be shut out of their regular
activities for safety reasons. The Ministry needs to acknowledge this
and limit the impact of hunting on other taxpayers. Where hunting is
permitted, there should be more informational signage and publicity
aimed at non-hunters, who are often unaware of hunting regulations and
locations."