Overview

Carwright Nature Sanctuary is a 46-acre parcel that has been jointly acquired and managed with Conservation Halton since 2004. Located in the Pleasant View area of Dundas, the property forms a key part of one of the primary ecological corridors between the Niagara Escarpment and Cootes Paradise within the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System and Borer’s Falls Rock Chapel Environmentally Sensitive Area.

The solitude and unspoiled nature found just minutes from the city consists of a central plateau area on the lower slopes of the Niagara Escarpment almost entirely surrounded by stream valleys. The northern part of the sanctuary features a well established forest community and the valleys host a wide diversity of communities from thickets to meadow marshes and forested slopes.  The property provides diverse habitat for many species including White-tailed Deer, Coyote, Wild Turkey, Pignut Hickory, and other rare or uncommon species.

Ecology and Highlights

The northern part of the sanctuary features a well established forest community dominated by Red Oak, Shagbark and Pignut Hickories. Gray Dogwood thickets and groves of young Black Walnut and Red Ash dominate former pasture lands in the central area. The sanctuary is an important groundwater discharge area, feeding streams such as Hickory Brook that flow into Cootes Paradise. Stewardship activities have included ecological inventories, breeding bird surveys and invasive species control. The isolated central plateau is surrounded by valleys on all sides providing a spectacular view. The Bruce W. Duncan Memorial Trail travels through the forest and thickets and features a major bridge, 90 metres of boardwalk and three benches.

Date of Acquisition: 2004

Acquired and managed with Conservation Halton