Borers-Rock Chapel Heritage Lands
The Borer’s Falls - Rock Chapel Heritage Lands comprise 498 ha of land north of the urban boundary of the City of Hamilton. Borer’s Falls - Rock Chapel Heritage Lands includes an area generally extending between Sydenham Road east to Highway 6 and from the Canadian National Railway (CN) north to Rock Chapel, Valley and Patterson Roads (Figure 2). Of the 498 ha within the Heritage Lands, 323 ha (65%) are currently owned and managed by partner organizations (the Current EcoPark System Lands) (Figure 2). The majority of the Current EcoPark System Lands are owned by Hamilton Conservation Authority (127 ha), Royal Botanical Gardens (124 ha), with smaller areas owned by Conservation Halton (57 ha) and the City of Hamilton (15 ha). To the south, Borer’s Falls - Rock Chapel Heritage Lands is located adjacent to urban areas including the former Town of Dundas. North of Rock Chapel, Valley and Patterson Roads, the Borer’s Falls - Rock Chapel Heritage Lands are bordered by privately-owned lands, some of which is open space, as well as rural residential areas. Borer’s Falls - Rock Chapel Heritage Lands is adjacent to the Cootes Paradise Heritage Lands (on the south) and the Clappison-Grindstone Heritage Lands (on the east).
Borer’s Falls - Rock Chapel Heritage Lands feature the Niagara Escarpment valley and include several recognized environmental designations including Environmentally Significant Areas (ESA) and Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI). Ecologically, Borer’s Falls - Rock Chapel Heritage Lands is generally classified as deciduous Escarpment forest. This area contains multiple small watersheds and floodplains, including Spencer Creek, and several small “North Shore” watersheds of Cootes Paradise. The Borer’s Falls - Rock Chapel Heritage Lands, in combination with Cootes Paradise Heritage Lands, contain the largest area of undisturbed interior forest habitat within the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System (Wong 2009), although there are some gaps created by the CN Rail line and adjacent roads. Borer’s Falls - Rock Chapel Heritage Lands includes over 100 ha of Carolinian forest. The character of the Heritage Lands is defined by the Niagara Escarpment, creek valleys, including Borer’s Creek and Hopkin’s Creek, and Borer’s Falls.
The Heritage Lands include a diverse network of trails, which include the Bruce Trail and the Ray Lowes Side Trail. The Heritage Lands also contain traditional urban parks with sports fields and playground (John Prentice Park and Valley Community Centre Park). Borer’s Falls - Rock Chapel Heritage Lands are used extensively by hikers, dog-walkers, birdwatchers, nature enthusiasts and the surrounding community due to their aesthetic, recreational and natural values. The area provides spectacular views of the Borer’s Falls valley, the Niagara Escarpment, the City of Hamilton, Hamilton Harbour, deciduous forest and Cootes Paradise Marsh.
Some of the Current EcoPark System Lands support existing infrastructure including hydro and gas lines which intersect the site. Several utilities border the site including a railway across the southern edge.