A letter to the editor from our friends at North Pigeon Lake Ratepayers' Association
Article sent to the newspaper editors and other media to emphasize lack of due process in the Mega Quarry application process:
Bobcaygeon January 3, 2013
NOW WE SEE DEWDNEY's CAVES, ... SOON WE MAY NOT.
What few know is
that right outside Bobcaygeon, in Galway-Cavendish Harvey Township, we
have what spelunkers (cavers) have said is Ontario's number 2 cave
system and perhaps number 31 in all of Canada.
Little is known about
the caves but "old timers" talk of exploring the caves, which carried
names such as the Ongley Caves, the Parker Caves, and now the Dewdney
Mountain Caves. Research by members of the North Pigeon Lake Ratepayers'
Association, into how well various organizations did their research for
a proposed quarry adjacent to these caves, identified it as a very
significant karst (a region made up of porous limestone containing deep
fissures and sinkholes and characterized by underground caves and
streams).
From what we have
gleaned from cavers' reports and those who have visited the site we see
this cave system as extremely important, significant to geology, the
environment, species at risk like bats, and as a potential tourist
attraction for the area. E. A. Ongley wrote a thesis on the caves in
1965 and it is widely available to anyone researching the area. The
caves should be referred to as the Dewdney's Caves, derived from Arthur
Dewdney who was Rod Parker's (the owner prior to a Mr. Ritchie) great
grandfather. There would appear from these sources to be over 1.6
kilometers (possibly 10 kms) of caves explored and many more meters
unexplored. They are suspected to be about 500 metres from the proposed
quarry with the cave floor in some places lying only 2 m above the
water table. This needs to be verified before blasting in the quarry
begins. Why does Council and other authorities resist this
investigation?
Just East of Lakefield,
The Warsaw Caves are a well-known and well-used tourist attraction. For
decades they have been a favorite destination for many families wishing
to see examples of erosion over centuries through the limestone. This
makes it one of Ontario's best tourist destinations, making the top 15
in 2012
Helen Gerson from the
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources states, in the guidelines for bats
of Ontario, that every OMNR district office should prepare a list of
locations of caves and mines in which bats hibernate during the winter.
She also states that in The Endangered Species Protection Act it
mandates stiff fines and possible imprisonment for those who kill or
disturb endangered bats or harm their habitat.
Although not a project
of Kawartha Region Conservation Authority (KRCA), the caves referred to
so far have not been identified as an Area of Natural and Scientific
Interest (ANSI). As such, they have not been granted protection as a
significant natural heritage feature (Natural Heritage policies of the
PPS). Furthermore, MNR staff was contacted on this matter and indicated
that the MNR has accepted the geology /hydro geology studies prepared in
support of the Dewdney Farms quarry application without providing
information or consideration to the endangered species protection act on
this issue of caves and bats in the area.
From a report of 2003
by Trent University entitled "The Parker Property: An Important
Biological Rich Hardwood Forest area in Central Ontario" we learned the
following "The flora is overall very rich with a large number of
regionally or provincially rare orchids, sedges and ferns. The Natural
Heritage Information Group of MNR and the Canadian Nature Conservancy
found 423 vascular plant species in a short one-day visit in 2002. Rare
snakes and salamanders also occur, as well as a rich butterfly,
dragonfly and Damsel fly fauna and a large mammal population, including a
winter deer yard with 950 white-tailed deer in 1998 (MNR-Report). The
bird diversity is also rich, but not yet fully documented. There are
numerous underground caves in the limestone, where the Queen's
University Caving Society has explored and mapped 10 km of underground
caves, one of the longest underground sequences in the province of
Ontario."
In spite of the fact
that this is such a unique feature, possibly of greater significance
than the protected Warsaw Caves, why did not one of the exhaustive
reports on the area of the potential quarry mention such an Ontario
feature?
What is needed is an
ANSI study to determine whether the caves play a significant role in the
area and garner the attention of the local Councils who have control
over approval of Quarry applications. This is a costly effort for which
we will be seeking the support from local residents. Perhaps the
Council of Galway-Cavendish Harvey will pay half of the $2000 needed
while the NPLRA pays the other half. With Mr. Ritchie's cooperation we
could determine once and for all the importance of the caves.
Ross Morton
President, North Pigeon Lake Ratepayers' Association
WWW.NPLRA.CA
For those of you who want to
explore before potential damage is done to the surrounding area by
blasting or heavy truck traffic just drive about 3 kms east of Nogies
Creek on #36 to Quarry Road and turn left. You travel about 6.8 kms from
#36 always staying to the left at turns. We suggest you ask Mr. Ritchie
for his permission to walk the property.
Or by map coordinates for you real hikers and geocaches 44.646613,-78.50367.
-30-
For more information and membership support please go to
www.nplra.ca
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