A biodiversity project earmarked for the Hamilton-area is hoping to protect and connect a stretch of space between Cootes Paradise, the Hamilton Harbour and the escarpment.
The Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System will get $3.5 million in federal funding for a pilot project to merge 2,200 hectares from the Western edge of Lake Ontario to the Niagara Escarpment.
The alliance of local land-owning organizations says the initiative will restore habitat and connect wildlife across a very urbanized landscape.
Tomasz Wiercioch, coordinator of that alliance, said the goal is to preserve one of the last terrestrial corridors between Lake Ontario watersheds and the Niagara Escarpment.
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“There will be a number of partner-led projects that include reaching out to private landowners to assist with improving their landscape between our protected areas,” Wiercioch said.
“This may include invasive species removal, planting native plants, (and) possible barrier enhancements.”
Indigenous communities are expected to participate in this program as well, providing knowledge of the coverage area in the plan.
The funding from Ottawa is part of a larger $8-million commitment from Parks Canada for conservation projects in Ontario, which include the Meadoway in Scarborough, and corridors that connect forests of Algonquin Park with the Adirondack Mountains of New York State.
Wiercioch said the pilot program will last 12 to 16 months with the potential for further expansion of the project beyond the timeline.
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