b'REHABILITATIONFrom a 2008 visitors survey, the NCC estimates that there are 300,000 visits to Conroy every year. In the winter, Conroy Pit is also a popular destination for tobogganing, says Keogh. The hill is actually lit from 4 p.m. until 11 p.m. The hill is located in the western portion of the pit, in an on-leash area. Bruce Pit, a 65-acre area in the citys west end, is another popular off-leash dog walking area also built on a former gravel pit.SOUTHERN ONTARIO TheWildwoodGravelPitisnestledwithintheWildwood ConservationAreajusteastofSt.Marys.A25-kminterpretive trailpassesalongthewesternboundaryofthe12-acresite, which won the 2014 OSSGA Bronze Plaque Award. Part of the trail includes a boardwalk to a fen, a rare wetland community in SouthwesternOntario.The Wildwood Pits rehabilitation began in 1996 by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority and the Ministry of Natural Resources, with funding from the Abandoned Pits and QuarriesBoth the Oak Ridges Moraine Trail and the Trans Canada Trail RehabilitationFund.Localschoolsandcommunitygroupshaveare regularly accessed from the spacious parking lot and trailhead, been key to the success of this project. The pit had been regeneratingwhich includes a kiosk with a detailed map. Hikers, cyclists and on its own for more than 20 years, and the rehab plan was changedequestrians are all encouraged to share the scenic network of trails to protect special habitats. Over the years, a pond was dug, sandandspectacularlookoutswhileothersectionsarepreservedfor pits were built for nesting turtles, and wood chip piles were addedwildlife conservation. Millage says this reclamation project serves to make homes for snakes. Trees and a native tallgrass prairie wereas both a model for other pits and a public education tool.planted, and gravel ridges and mounds were left in place. Onseveraloccasions,theORTAhasbeentherecipientof Bruce Trails Kerncliff Park and City View Park side trails bothdonated gravelfromLafargeCanadaInc.fortrailimprovement skirtaformerquarry.TheKerncliffParktrailleadsthroughaandparkinglotconstruction.Such corporateassistanceand mature mixed hardwood forest and over a wooden bridge, and theotherfinancialsupportprovidedbyGolderAssociatesLtd. is City View Park trail leads through the south portion of Burlingtonsmuch appreciated, says Millage. It is to be hoped that as many City View Park. other pits along the Oak Ridges Moraine reach the end of their TheformerTimberBrothersgravelpitinUxbridge,nowuse for aggregate, portions of such properties may be preservedas ownedbytheTorontoandRegionConservationAuthority,hasrehabilitated greenspace The peace of such areas for people and also been rehabilitated with trails. Restoration included gradingwildlife provides value beyondmeasure. slopes, tree planting, habitat creation with logs and stumps andDufferin Aggregates, a division of Holcim (Canada) Inc., is also regionaldirectoroftheOakRidgesTrailAssociation(ORTA).which run alongside the Bruce Trail in the Halton Region.lookout construction with interpretive signage, says Brian Millage,a regular contributor to trails near its pits and quarriesmany of We Manufacture, Repair & Service Attachments& Hydraulics for Excavators, Loaders &DozersWe have all your Earthmoving Attachments from a snowplough blade to a large grapple.We have the equipment, the skill, and the expertise to deliver a rst-class product, on-time, everytime for over 35 years.Call us today for all your attachment needs!D/S Manufacturing(613) 652 - 40255087 Carman Road, Iroquois, ON. K0E 1K0Fax (613) 652 - 1575dsmanufacturing.caFALL 2019AVENUES 35'