HALTONhikes

The 50 parks and outdoor adventure sites in Halton Hikes are primarily located in Ontario’s new Greenbelt. The Greenbelt also includes a large section of the Niagara Escarpment which was designated as a World Biophere Reserve in 1990. Conservation Halton’s watershed, shown on the adjacent foldout map to the right, is a significant part of the Greenbelt that has more than 75 km of the Niagara Escarpment, important farmland and abundant rural countryside.

Here are some facts about the Ontario Greenbelt, the Niagara Escarpment and Conservation Halton’s Watershed.

Ontario Greenbelt

The Greenbelt protects 728,435 hectares of greenspace, farmland, vibrant communities, forests, wetlands and watersheds.

The area includes the Niagara Escarpment, Oakridges Moraine and the Rouge Park.

The Greenbelt was created in 2005 to protect key environmentally sensitive lands and farmlands from urban development and sprawl.

The Greenbelt surrounds the province’s Golden Horseshoe, the most populated area of Canada.72 animal and plant Species at Risk in Ontario can be found in the Greenbelt

Niagara Escarpment

Ontario’s most significant landform extends more than 799 km from Niagara Falls to Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula.Canada’s longest footpath, the Bruce Trail, hugs the rim of the Escarpment.

The Niagara Escarpment Plan was approved by the Province of Ontario in 1985. It was Canada’s first environmentally based land use plan.

The extensive forests and wetlands of the Escarpment provide continuous habitat for 240 species of birds, 34 reptiles and amphibians, 51 mammal species and 1,700 different plants.

Conservation Halton Watershed

This land base includes 1,000 sq km of land drained by 17 creeks that flow into Lake Ontario.

A major section of the world-renowned Niagara Escarpment is situated in the watershed.

More than 25 per cent of Halton’s watershed is covered by forest, which is very impressive for a Golden Horseshoe location.

The watershed is rich in cultural and archaeological resources. The Crawford Lake site, with its reconstructed Iroquoian Village, is the nucleus of a 25-
year study that included more than 100 nearby native settlements.

Ontario’s oldest-growth forest was discovered at the Kelso Conservation Area in Milton. Some of these ancient cedars clinging to the cliff edges are more than 1,000 years old.