The installation of entry gates and signage at St. Johns Conservation Area has left some visitors concerned they will have to pay to enjoy a little nature. But according to a spokesperson for the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, that is not the case. The gates are there strictly for controlling access to the park and is not a sign of a plan to bring in paid parking there.
“There is no voluntary pay system in place and access and parking continue to be offered free of charge,” said Adam Christie, the NPCA’s director of conservation areas. “These gates will improve traffic flow and mitigate non-permitted activities as they stay open daily from 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. and closed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.”
Pelham Regional Councillor Diana Huson is also a member of the NPCA board. She said the NPCA has been grappling with vandalism that has occurred in the park. The installation of the gates should help the situation, she said.
“We had a report on the types of vandalism that we're seeing in our park, like picnic tables being thrown in the pond, people damaging the bathrooms, spray painting – destruction of property, “Huson said. “So, we are closing the parks with the gate in the evening but it's open and free during the day.”
Huson had also put forward a motion calling on the board to rescind a decision to charge for parking at St. Johns after public outcry.
Christie acknowledged that paid parking was considered, but said in the future, the NPCA, “is committed to engaging the community on major enhancement projects and will ensure there is always a comprehensive consultation process for any such proposed changes.”
He added that members of the public may be misinterpreting messaging on signage at the entrance and displayed on a screen at the gate that asks visitors to consider donating to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Foundation (NPCF).
“This is not to be confused with a ‘pay-what-you-can' approach as it is simply an opportunity to promote the NPCF to those who visit the conservation area,” he said, adding the mission of the Foundation is to raise funds to support conservation worked carried out by the Authority.
Specifically, the signage installed tells users that the site “was recently enhanced as part of the NPCA’s conservation management efforts” ask users “to consider making a donation” for “future sustainability projects” put forward by the authority. The text is followed by the logo for the NPCF.
Enhancements at St. Johns include a new granular road surface for the entryway and parking area, six dedicated accessible parking spaces next to the pond access trail, reconstructed pedestrian trails and washroom sidewalks, a dedicated barrier-free asphalt parking area to improve site access for visitors with mobility needs, and an infiltration gallery along the edge of the parking lot to direct stormwater runoff into the ground to help recharge local groundwater.
The final stage of the enhancement project will include installation of interpretive signage on site in the coming months, Christie said.
While St. Johns won’t be subject to a parking fee, it is different at other NPCA sites.
At Balls Falls Conservation Area, in Lincoln, fees vary depending on the season and whether there is an attendant on duty. Fees range from $9 to $14.50 per car and driver. That site includes restored period buildings dating back to the 1800s and includes the Ball family home, an operating flour mill, a lime kiln, a church, blacksmith shop, and a carriage shed.
Paid parking has also been instituted at Rockway Conservation Area in St. Catharines at $9 per vehicle.
“They've had an extensive renovation there in terms of the parking lot and they had to pull down the structure that was there was unsafe,” Huson said.
Mayor Marvin Junkin, while relieved there would be no charge for parking at St. Johns, still expressed concern, especially after paid parking was instituted at Rockway.
“The people that use St. Johns to go for a hike are mainly retirees and young families,” he said. “They are the people who can least afford it.”
Whether or not paid parking ever comes to St. Johns, Junkin maintained that Niagara residents alone should not be left to foot any bills for enhancements, as the conservation areas draw visitors from all over, and support should come via taxes at upper levels of government.
Huson, meanwhile, added that the conservation authority has also supplied 60 NaturePlus passes to public libraries across Niagara, including the Lincoln Pelham library. The passes give holders free access and parking to all NPCA sites.
For 2024, 120 of the passes – which can be borrowed for one week – will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. In some cases, the passes are accompanied by nature backpacks that include a pair of binoculars and a guidebook. Each pass allows entry for a single vehicle and its occupants to Ball’s Falls, Binbrook, Chippawa Creek, and Long Beach conservation areas.
