5 writings to our mother
lined with utility poles. No buffer plantings have been put here and the ground remains barren.
North of Oldfield Road is a three acre forest, which is all that is left of a once 45 acre old growth swamp wetland forest. Once dominated by towering Pin Oaks, it was the best place in Niagara to observe the Grey Tree Frog, a charming species that lives in tree tops. The three acres is all that is left as a result of an Ontario Municipal Board,( OMB) negotiated settlement that protects the habitat of a threatened vine, the Round-leaved Greenbrier.
What is distressing is seeing the barren and invasivedamaged buffer between the protective fence around the three-acre forest. While most of this land was disturbed three years ago, is still simply naked dirt. An environmentally dangerous exotic weed has become established, known as Phragmites. It is a terrible warning of what may happen soon south of Oldfield Road. Given the failure to plant appropriate native species such as Gray Dogwood, the“ buffer” in the future will simply be an entry point for invasive, exotic species into an old growth forest.
The harsh reality on the ground is also shown by encroachment on the supposed 39-meter“ buffers” of Provincially Significant Wetlands in the vicinity of Ramsey Road. Here the trees in the protected wetland are being encircled and buried by truckloads of landfill. The recent photos, taken at the site, demonstrates this vividly.
Provincial wetland policy is effective in keeping development of of protected areas. Its buffering policies however, are not effective. Regulators are not prepared for the costly legal battles to effectively enforce the law, despite vivid evidence is shown by these photos.