Often good intentions meant to bring awareness to a unique situation end up worsening things. A local group has banded together to protest a proposed parking lot at the Cheltenham Badlands. Their concerns include the paving over of potential forest and even more foot traffic causing accelerated destruction to the feature.
It’s a noble cause but what their campaign has done, I fear, is increased traffic to the site through all the publicity, creating even more of a problem. I’m proof. I’ve lived in the area for 20 years and never had the slightest intention of visiting. I’ve been to South Dakota and Alberta, home of far more vast badlands than Caledon’s, so the idea never really appealed to me. However, once it became front page news in the local papers and a Facebook Group was formed, suddenly I was drawn to the spot.
What are the Cheltenham Badlands (aka Caledon Badlands)? This is a unique formation of Queenston shale that has been eroded and molded to form a unique other-worldly landscape. Until the 1930’s, the red rock went unexposed, covered with soil. However, poor farming practices eroded the soil and exposed the shale.
There’s a myth that the badlands were created by poor farming and erosion. Not true – just exposed. The formation was already there, sitting beneath the soil.
Located north of Brampton, Ontario and just west of the hamlet of Inglewood on Olde Baseline Road, between Creditview Road and Chinguacousy Road, the Badlands are a 36.6 hectare site owned by the Ontario Heritage Trust. The Bruce Trail Conservancy maintains the property in conjunction with the OHT. It is important to note that the land is not owned by the Town of Caledon, Peel Region, Credit Valley Conservation or any private interests.
The Ontario Heritage Trust is a foundation connected to the Ontario Government that is tasked with preserving the province’s cultural and natural history. On the side of Mother Nature, the OHT has 160 natural heritage properties, 115 connected to the Bruce Trail system that runs up the Niagara Escarpment from Niagara-On-The-Lake to Tobermory. The Bruce Trail Conservancy is a charitable organization with open membership that preserves and maintains over 8,000 acres of land along the Niagara Escarpment.
So, what’s the big whoop? There is a 1,670 square metre paved parking lot planned for the area just to the east of the top portion of the badlands. The parking lot will have capacity for 33 cars and two buses. Why? Olde Baseline Road is a rural road to nowhere with terrible sight lines right where people park to see the badlands. Currently, the speed limit on this portion of the road has been dropped to 40 KPH and traffic calming speed bumps have been installed.
The local group seems to be more concerned that the parking lot will cause the removal of 1,670 square metres of scrub. The real concern should be that the parking lot may not be enough to eliminate the dangerous situation that exists on Olde Baseline Road.
In the Caledon-Dufferin area, the unofficial motto of the citizens is “Protest everything immediately – Come up with reasonable alternatives later.” Thus, this is a paradise for lawyers. I agree that the parking lot is a half-assed plan. There is a statement, not real plans, that there will possibly, eventually be an observation platform and barriers installed that will keep people off the delicate shale to reduce damage.
However, the only alternative that the protest group is giving is for local government to purchase a nearby vacant plot of land, build the parking lot there and have people walk in to the site. Nowhere in their suggestion do they consider the cost of the land to be purchased (the area has overly inflated real estate prices) and the fact that the $1 million will still have to be spent to install the parking lot. Also, some sort of pathway would need to be constructed to keep people from walking along Olde Baseline Road – and, that ain’t cheap. Then, add in the costs of bureaucracy…
Okay Smartass, what would you do? Well, it’s a tough call. The popularity of the site will simply not go away, especially with all the publicity created by those who are trying to reduce the popularity. I’m not a fan of user fees. However, if you want this place protected, you need to enclose it and have some kind of staff on site. Quite frankly, I’m shocked that the lure of tourism revenue hasn’t already transformed the Badlands. The constant crowd of people has to be flashing dollar signs in front of someone’s eyes.
Would I pay a user fee to see the Cheltenham Badlands? Probably not. If you’re restricted to a viewing platform at the top of the hill, your visit will grow old in a very short period of time. It’s just not that spectacular to warrant paying money when there is so much other natural beauty along in the area, along the escarpment.
As a place where you are restricted to a viewing platform, most of the appeal is eliminated. It’s a catch-22. The appeal is scrambling around on the formations with every angle providing a unique view. Heck, many of the local supporters who have commented on the Facebook page have lovingly referred to this location as their childhood playground and spent their youth climbing on the rocks. However, it’s that traffic that is damaging the site. It’s like if you went to Toronto and could only view the CN Tower from a platform near the base, not actually allowed to go inside and take the elevator to the top. Would you pay a fee for that?
Perhaps, the best choice is to fence it off and don’t allow any visitors at all. But, we know that this doesn’t work. Every year at nearby Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, they try in vain to keep people out of the mill ruins at Church’s Falls. Every year, the fence is destroyed and the old concrete walls are splashed with fresh graffiti.
Despite the controversy – should you visit? Yes. Once. Take some pictures and carry on. There’s a lot more to see in the area, like Belfountain Conservation Area, Forks of the Credit, Hilton Falls, Hockley Valley Provincial Reserve, etc.
There are a few things that are mentioned often in the comments on the Facebook page that is not only a definite concern with this site but is pretty universal. Visitors often have an issue with their garbage. They lack the ability to visit somewhere without making a mess.
