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Atlantic
Salmon
The Atlantic salmon were once
abundant in the West Credit River
which flows through Belfountain.
Salmo Salar (salmon the leaper)
is threatened throughout its
shrinking north Atlantic habitat.
David Keith, Jeff Collins, Mark
Heaton and Frank Entwisle are
local volunteers with the
Belfountain Fish Hatchery. There
group's aim is to encourage a
community effort that will
support federal and provincial
efforts to bring back Atlantic
salmon to the Credit River.
Construction on the Belfountain
Hatchery began in 2001-2002 when
volunteers managed to release
6,000 advanced fry. Demonstration
tanks were set up in local
schools so students could learn
about Atlantic salmon through
history, science and social
studies programs.
Belfountain
Conservation Area
Belfountain Conservation Area is part of the Credit
Valley Conservation.
For hikers, a short trail loops around the pond,
while the Trimble Trail, a side trail of the Bruce
Trail,
stretches 3 km downstream with lookouts on the
Niagara Escarpment. Charles W. Mack, the inventor
of the cushion-back rubber-stamp, purchased the
land in 1908 and put stone masons to work on ideas
he acquired while travelling. The waterfall is
a miniature Niagara Falls. The cave is modelled
after those of Yellowstone. The bell-shaped fountain
was built to honour the village. From 1840- 1870
the area was mined for brownstone.
This stone was used in the construction of the
provincial parliament buildings in Toronto. The
Trimble Trail follows an old tramway used to carry
the stone from the valley to the Forks of the
Credit railway. The remains of his construction
work bring many visitors to the park annually.
Park hours and fees can be found here.
The
terrain includes soil, clay and bedrock surfaces
with a series of boardwalks and bridges. The
flora includes Cedar, Oak, Maple and Birch trees
and an abundance of wildflowers. Visitors may
catch a glimpse of the fauna which includes
salamanders, turtles, mink, deer, songbirds,
brook and brown trout. The Belfountain trail
takes visitors around the pond and along the
scenic right side of the river.
Members
of the Caledon
Hills Bruce Trail
Club
can provide more information
about local hikes in the
area.
Forks
of the Credit Provincial
Park
Located north of Belfountain,
Forks of the Credit Provincial
Park features the excitement of
the Credit River, as it narrows
and rushes through a deep gorge,
plunging over a falls. Geological
features that were deposited or
carved out by retreating
glaciers, such as kame hills and
kettle lakes, surround the river.
The park also includes some of
the upland, rolling pasture land
that is typical of much of
southern Ontario.
Hiking
and picnicking are favourite
activities here. Visitors may
fish but hunting is forbidden.
Open year-round, the park is
popular in winter for
cross-country skiing and
snowshoeing.
Directions:
From Belfountain, take the Forks of the Credit
Road east under the train trestle to McLaren
Road. Turn left and follow McLaren Road north.
From Caledon, take Charleston Sideroad west,
turn left on McLaren Road and follow the signs
south to the Park.
For
more information on the
Forks
of the Credit Provincial
Park
phone the staff at Earl Rowe
Provincial Park at
705-435-2498.
MORE
info from
OntarioParks.com
Jefferson Salamander
Jefferson
Salamander
(Ambystoma jeffersonianum) is a rare and endangered
salamander found in the Belfountain area. They
inhabit deciduous forests with suitable breeding
areas like limestone sinkhole ponds, kettle ponds
and other natural basins. The most likely cause
of low numbers of this species in Canada is the
limited amount of habitat (terrestrial and breeding
ponds) that is considered suitable for the species.
The habitat that does remain is very fragmented
and under pressure from urban expansion. The Jefferson
Salamander is protected under the federal Species
at Risk Act (SARA).
Details about the Jefferson Salamander monitoring
program can be found here.
The
Jefferson Salamander
(photo courtesy of the
Niagara
Escarpment
Commission)
Belfountain's
Salamander
Festival
is named in honour of the Jefferson Salamander.
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is
recognized as one of the world's
unique natural wonders. As a
landform it is a ridge of rock
several hundred metres high in
some locations -- stretching 725
kilometres (450 miles) from
Queenston on the Niagara River to
Tobermory at the tip of the Bruce
Peninsula. The Escarpment
contains more than 100 sites of
geological significance including
some of the best exposures of
rocks and fossils of the Silurian
and Ordovician Periods to be
found anywhere in the world.
MORE...
The
Niagara Escarpment is home to 300
bird species, 53 mammals, 36
reptiles and amphibians, 90 fish
and 100 varieties of special
interest flora including 37 types
of wild orchids. MORE...
UNESCO
named Ontario's Escarpment a
World Biosphere Reserve in 1990.
This designation recognizes the
Niagara Escarpment as an
internationally significant
ecosystem for its special
environment and unique
environmental plan. Learn more
about the Niagara Escarpment
Biosphere
Reserve.
MORE...
For
more information about the
management and protection of the
Niagara Escarpment , please visit
the Niagara
Escarpment
Commission.
According
to a February 1989
presentation
made to Ontario Members of
Provincial Parliament by Mr.
Elliot:
"That, in the opinion of this
House, recognizing the importance
of the Niagara Escarpment as a
significant feature of Ontario's
natural heritage, and that the
varying uses of the escarpment
lands for farming, tourism,
housing and aggregate extraction
have a significant impact on that
land, the Ministry of Municipal
Affairs should be directed to
ensure that any development or
use of Niagara Escarpment lands
be environmentally sustainable
development; and that the
Ministry of Municipal Affairs be
further directed to maintain
heritage and environmental
concerns as priorities when
considering land use planning
within the Niagara Escarpment
boundaries. " MORE...
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