Clappison-Grindstone Heritage Lands

The Clappison-Grindstone Heritage Lands comprise 337 ha of land located in an area extending generally between Highway 6 and Waterdown Road in the City of Burlington and from Highway 403 north to the southern limit of Waterdown in the City of Hamilton. Of the 337 ha, 202 ha (60%) are currently owned and managed by partner organizations (Figure 2). The majority of the Current EcoPark System Lands are owned by Conservation Halton (151.93 ha), with smaller areas owned by the City of Burlington (17.03 ha), City of Hamilton (14.67 ha), Bruce Trail Conservancy (9.72 ha), and Ontario Heritage Trust (8.36 ha). The Bruce Trail traverses the area through lands owned by the Bruce Trail Conservancy, other partner lands by agreement, etc.

Existing land uses within and adjacent to the Heritage Lands include agriculture, rural residential, industrial and suburban developments. The community of Waterdown extends to the north of the Heritage Lands. The community of Hidden Valley is located in the main Grindstone Creek valley, immediately north of Highway 403. A number of utilities and infrastructure bisect the Clappison-Grindstone Heritage Lands including a railway, two major power lines, Waterdown Road and Snake Road, and a pipeline. Most of the Heritage Lands are located below the escarpment brow except for the lands above the Grindstone Falls (Great Falls), a repurposed limestone quarry (King City/Sheppard Quarry), and adjacent tableland forests along the escarpment rim (Clappison Woods) in the City of Hamilton. Though through extraction, the repurposed limestone quarry is currently placed below the brow.