The Binbrook Conservation Area is going to look a little different come spring.
Construction is underway on a brand-new zip line adventure park, scheduled to open in May 2019.
Niagara Conservation Authority spokesperson Michael Reles says it’s expected to be a boon for the area.
“It’s increasing usage of a park that has generally been operating in the red for a while for us,” he said.
Reles says this new addition will help the park become self-sufficient, lessening the burden on taxpayers.
The conservation authority will generate revenue through a partnership with Treetop Trekking, which will own and operate the new attraction. It’s also anticipating more cash flow from admission due to a higher volume of visitors.
The adventure park will feature a five-course, 80-element zip line route where people can climb from tree to tree in the forest canopy.
Reles says the team at the Niagara Conservation Authority investigated one of Treeptop Trekking’s operational parks in Stouffville, Ont., before construction got underway and determined that the attraction had a minimal impact on the landscape.
“They really treat trees as a resource. They’re not harming them in any way,” he said.
An environmental assessment of the previously underutilized portion of the Binbrook Conservation Area has been completed.
Reles says the company is now in the process of vetting the site for safety concerns. This will involve the removal of a number of dead ash trees before workers start installing equipment on the trees that will be incorporated into the zip line course.
Treetop Trekking already runs five adventure parks in Ontario, three of which are also in conservation areas.
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