The Lungs of the Golden Horseshoe

The Niagara Escarpment is a unique geological cliff formation that runs like a ribbon of wilderness right through our back yard--and the most urban part of Ontario. It is designated as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve (one of only 15 in Canada) along with others worldwide such as the Serengeti, the Everglades and Easter Island. But parts of it are threatened.

The Bruce Trail is the oldest and longest marked footpath in Canada. It runs 885km along the Escarpment and has over 440 side trails. The Trail is carefully maintained and stewarded by more than 1,100 dedicated volunteers, donating over 100,000 hours of their time annually. Every year, more than 400,000 people from Ontario and beyond visit the Trail to walk, hike, snowshoe, take nature photographs, explore historic sites, seek out rare species and admire the glorious scenery. The Bruce Trail includes a variety of topographic features (forest, waterfalls, cliffs, caves, potholes, sinkholes, moraines, swamps, bogs etc.) and land uses (farming, viniculture, milling, hydro, quarries, limekilns, recreation etc.) extending from Queenston to the islands off Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. The particular combination of geological and ecological feature such as rare flora and fauna along the Escarpment results in a landscape unequalled in Canada.

The Escarpment is also a source of some of Ontario’s prime rivers and streams and the site of the last remaining old growth forest in southern Ontario. The special micro-climate it creates in Niagara allows the cultivation of tender fruit (grapes, peaches etc.) and specialty crops. In the Hamilton region we can truly say that the Niagara Escarpment acts as our “environmental lungs and kidneys”—providing many “eco-services” to the area.

But only half of the Bruce Trail is secured on public land—the other half is either on private land or roads. This means we have hundreds of “handshake agreements” with landowners that kindly let the Trail pass over their land. The Bruce Trail Conservancy—a registered charity—and its nine regional clubs have been working for 45 years to secure and protect a conservation corridor along the Escarpment that contains the Bruce Trail. We need help to purchase key properties and steward them forever for all to enjoy.

ArcelorMittal Dofasco has been a dedicated supporter of the Bruce Trail Conservancy for many years and has made the Bruce Trail Conservancy a recurring grantee. This has resulted in help purchasing major local properties and stewarding important parts of the Bruce Trail in the Hamilton area. This ongoing support has made a huge impact on the work the BTC is able to do right in our own back yard!

Visit the BTC website.

Dr. David Suzuki: “The Bruce Trail engenders a feeling of peace and harmony at being in balance with the natural world that is our home. Like many of our natural assets, we must embrace this natural beauty, protect it and teach our children to carry the torch of stewardship.”