Cooper Marsh Conservators respond to RRCA
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The Cooper Marsh Conservators have responded to the Raisin Region Conservation Authority’s decision to sever ties with the volunteer-led group.
The RRCA announced the decision on July 16, saying the conservators’ actions in opposition to a proposed 25-lot campground adjacent to the east end of the marsh forced its hand. A rezoning amendment was passed by South Glengarry council at the beginning of July to allow the campsite to go through, much to the dismay of the CMC.
“This drew public attention to the potential harm that increased human activity such a development might cause to the sensitive wildlife of Cooper Marsh,” said the CMC in a press release Wednesday, explaining its actions and offering little information on what its future now holds.
“The Protect Cooper Marsh campaign garnered more than 2,500 signatures and 2,300 members joined the Facebook group. Despite these activities, and the over 60 communications sent to the Township of South Glengarry by CMC and local citizens, council approved the amendment to the zoning bylaw at its regular council meeting on July 5, 2021. The potential impact on Cooper Marsh was never clearly addressed,” said the CMC.
A group held a protest in Lancaster a week after council’s approval, but the CMC statement clarified this event was not affiliated with the organization, which had cut ties with and shut down the Facebook group on June 21 after a warning from the RRCA. The conservators acknowledged that members, acting independently of the conservators, continued to lobby against the development, which inevitably led to the situation where the RRCA severed its ties.
The two groups worked together since 1997, during which the CMC raised over $700,000 in funds for conservation efforts. The RRCA said the relationship was not salvageable despite some efforts. The RRCA, as an authority, said is not allowed to be involved in political activities tied to the development applications it is required to review, whether directly or indirectly. The CMC, a registered charity, doesn’t plan on ending its opposition to the campground.
“This drew public attention to the potential harm that increased human activity such a development might cause to the sensitive wildlife of Cooper Marsh. After consultation with environmental scientists, CMC recognized that an Environmental Impact Study commissioned by the owners of the property failed to fully examine the potential impact such a development could have on the adjacent environmentally sensitive Cooper Marsh,” explained the CMC.
The conservators’ claim the RRCA and the township did not give due consideration to the potential impacts of the campground next to the east end of the marsh — which sees few people and is home to several species of concern — when recommending the development proceed with several restrictions remaining in place.
“It should never have been this difficult for people of good will in the CMC to advocate for the benefit of sound public policy and the protection of the wildlife in the wetlands of Cooper Marsh,” said board member David Martel in the release.
Any projects already underway between the RRCA and the conservators will be completed, the conservation authority said, but any plans beyond that have been terminated.
The conservators will hold their annual meeting in the fall, which will be centred on the future of the non-profit organization and its mandate.
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