[thistleclub]

Land purchase the start of something great
(Hamilton Spectator, Editorial, Mar 14 2013)

It is great news that the Hamilton Conservation Authority has stepped up with almost $400,000 in bridge financing to help finalize the first land purchase for one of Canada’s largest urban parks, which will stretch between Cootes Paradise and the escarpment.

Formerly farmers’ fields, the 21-hectare, L-shaped grassland between York Road and a railway line will create a wildlife corridor and protect the habitat of several threatened bird species. With an $800,000 price tag, this piece of land is part of the puzzle that will ultimately connect 1,300 hectares of natural land into a gem of an urban park.

The plan marks the biggest acquisition of land for the citizens of Hamilton since the establishment of the 1,200-hectare Dundas Valley Conservation Area. The goal is to create an urban ecopark, anchored by the former Veldhuis greenhouse property on the Desjardins Canal in Dundas. The Dundas EcoPark will be a key part of the larger Cootes to Escarpment Park System.

Money will be a huge factor in the success of the plan. Joan Bell, executive director of the Hamilton Conservation Foundation, told The Spectator’s editorial board last month that about $5 million is needed. She said $2 million will be needed to restore the natural landscape of the former Veldhuis property. Two million dollars will go toward land acquisitions. About $1 million is needed to work on trail linkages.

The foundation has raised about half the money to buy this first piece of property, abutting land already owned by the Royal Botanical Gardens, which plays a lead role in the Cootes to Escarpment Park System. The bridge financing from the conservation authority allows the ecopark project partners to meet Friday’s deadline for finalizing the land purchase.