Crothers' Woods Consultation

A meeting was held tonight at the Todmorden Mills Art Centre to talk about Crothers' Woods. In a room decorated by an amateur art exhibit, about 65 people gathered to discuss ideas for the future of Crothers' Woods. These ideas will be incorporated into a management plan being put together for the city. Once completed the management plan will allow the city to focus on management priorities in the area for at least the next 5-10 years.

The mood at the meeting was one of mostly positive cooperation which bodes well for the future. The audience was a mix of environmentalists and bikers with a few community members thrown in for good measure.

There was also an afternoon session which was invitation only that included representatives of specific stakeholder groups. That meeting featured more focused input. It also featured a rather incoherent rant by a member of the Toronto Field Naturalists. This was unfortunate as they could have provided a good historical context for the area. Still, overall the afternoon session was constructive.

The management plan is being written by a group called The Planning Partnership. They are being assisted on the ecological front by a consulting group called Bird and Hale which performed a botanical inventory of Crothers' Woods.

The plan is for another public meeting to be held in January 2007 that will present the draft plan and the completed plan will be ready by February 2007.

Don Watcher will, of course, be keeping an eye on the process and will update you as things progress.


Crothers' Woods public consultation well attended


Display material at public meeting