In February 2011 the staff at the Ministry of Natural Resources wrote to the Region of Niagara and asked for comments on their proposed changes to the Fonthill Kame-Delta Earth Science Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI). This proposal presents a boundary that includes a slightly larger area of the ANSI but has the Kame-Delta split into four areas and does nothing to preserve the feature as a whole.
The Region of Niagara Council has approved a staff report dated April 6, 2011 that opposes the current proposal by MNR staff and asks for further discussion with the Region and the Town of Pelham before any changes are made.
The significance of the Fonthill Kame-Delta is its total morphology and the landform comprising the five main components: the ice-contact slope, the delta front slope, the main terrace, the upper terrace and storm beaches, plus the northwest trending ridge.
The Region, The Town of Pelham, The NPCA, and Pelham residents all agree that a larger section of the Kame-Delta needs to be protected outside of the current urban areas and where gravel extraction has already occurred. Leaving a large area of the Kame-Delta unprotected would leave it exposed to development and possible gravel extraction.
The MNR staff proposal seems to fly in the face of Minister Canfield’s letter of April 2011.
A while back I was startled to read the proposed changes by the MNR. I'm pleased to know that the group, The Friends of Fonthill-Kane Delta is asking for further discussion before any changes are finalized.
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