GRCA closes some conservation areas this weekend after visitors failed to follow rules

Four conservation areas will be closed this weekend after visitors to the parks failed to follow the rules to physically distance, stay off the beach and throw out garbage, the Grand River Conservation Authority says.

Guelph Lake, Elora Gorge, Belwood Lake and Rockwood conservation areas won't reopen until June 15.

The conservation authority says it has "experienced significant challenges" with the high number of visitors.

"Some visitors are not following rules and are disregarding provincial guidelines established to help prevent the spread of COVID-19," the GRCA said in a release.

"Beyond people not respecting area closures, congregating in large groups and not practicing appropriate physical distancing measures, a considerable amount of garbage and other waste is being left throughout the parks and natural areas."

Pam Walther-Mabee, GRCA's manager of conservation areas, said the authority is also working with fewer staff members right now that are focusing on other areas of preparing the parks to open.

"We are taking this action so that our staff can focus on completing this work, rather than managing capacity and enforcement issues," Walther-Mabee said.

Not paying entrance fees

The GRCA said some people are also not paying to enter the parks. The GRCA said maintenance of the parks and conservation areasare not funded through tax dollars, but rather through money collected at the gate, from camping revenue and other pay-for-use items like canoe rentals. The GRCA is currently not allowing camping or renting canoes or kayaks.

The GRCA said the closures will not impact Brant, Byng Island, Conestogo Lake, Laurel Creek, Pinehurst Lake and Shade's Mills conservation areas, as well as Luther Marsh Wildlife Management Area.

Elora Quarry Conservation Area remains closed until further notice.

Private campgrounds have been given the go-ahead to open by the province on Friday as part of Stage 2 of the COVID-19 reopening plan. Beaches will be reopened starting on Monday and the GRCA said it expects to make a decision about allowing camping this summer by the end of June.

Actions impact others

Helen Jowett is a regional councillor for Cambridge and is also chair of the GRCA's board. She says she was disappointed that park visitors left behind garbage and didn't follow the rules, although she also felt empathy for them.

"Three months of being in a condo or an apartment or crowded in ... people are just so desperately wanting to get out," she said.

"Ultimately, we have to continue to think about citizens and staff first and you just don't like to have to think about it in terms of, 'Nope, you can't do that,' because there are so many people who respect and just want to have some space."

She said once the parks reopen on Monday, she wants people to remember to be responsible for their own actions and remember that how they act impacts others.

"If you're going to a park and there are too many people, try to find another park," she said. "It's just about really thinking about your own self awareness and how you're impacting others."