"We must recognize the rights of each species to its habitat, migratory routes and place in the community. For humans to assume rights to occupy land by excluding other life forms from their needed habitat is to offend the community in its deepest structure - to declare war on the very life forms we are dependant on for our own survival."
Thomas Berry

Water and Wetlands

 An image of Fischer Pond on the escarpment

The Mt Nemo area is home to several areas of natural and scentific interest in particular water features including numerous creeks, ponds, springs, acquifers and a number of provincially significant wetlands and wetland complexes. These features are the home of many provincially threatened species of animal and plant life. Included among these are the provincially threatened Jefferson Salamander, the pileated woodpecker, the butternut tree and many others.

Less than a year ago, a new complex of wetlands that has always existed was formally recognized by the MNR to be of provincial significance. The Grindstone creek headwaters wetland complex as it has come to be known is the source water for the grindstone creek and the Medad valley - including the jewel of the medad valley "Lake Medad". This wetland complex acts as the water purifier for waters entering many medad valley springs and water features and helps purify the water that eventually makes it's way to lake Ontario. The Grindstone creek headwaters wetland complex is a key contributor to fresh water for the western basin of lake Ontario. With water quality in Hamilton Bay an issue of grave concern, the importance of this complex cannot be under estimated.

Unfortunately, the centre point of this wetland complex is located just south of Nelson aggregates exiting limestone quarry and this land is the subject of a proposal to open up a new quarry that could disrupt it's function and potentially impact the quantity and quality of water entering the Grindstone creek system. The proposal also threatens water features on the eastern side of Mt Nemo and numerous others in the complex area.  See map to get an idea of the number of tributaries potentially impacted by this proposal. Water Features Map

Jefferson Salamander Document (Source: US Government)

Hydrogeological and Water Resources Assessment of the Proposed Nelson Quarry Co. Ext (Source: Hydro Geologist Wiff Ruland)

Jefferson Salamander (Source: )