RESTORE COOTES

West Campus Eco-Art Project  A walking activity and site activation on McMaster’s West Campus.  West Campus Eco-Art Project is a project that incorporates creative walking activities and an artistic site activation connected with the West Campus Redesign Initiative at McMaster University. The initiative provides opportunities for connecting with nature through an on-line informational video, walking excursions and creative activities that deepen knowledge and experience with place in all its complexities (social history, citizen science, ecology and diversity).  Focusing on the Coldwater creek valley on McMaster’s West Campus, participants will learn about the history and unique features of the area and will be invited to then engage with the site through observation, sketching and stencil-making. Stencils will be used to paint text and image on the parking lot asphalt to delineate a blue line that marks an historic water route.  The project is supported by the McMas...

I've sometimes wondered how certain plants started growing in our yard. I'm guessing seed dispersal: the wind floats some through the air, sticky burrs caught on a racoon's fur drop as they pass through at night, a nuthatch drops some seeds from its tail-end while searching for bugs on the side of a tree. The methods of delivery are varied, but the process of growth continues with time and the right conditions - rain, sun, soil -  and the wind, the racoon, the nuthatch are forgotten like the seed itself. We see goldenrod, sumach, dogwood, and it appears as though nothing preceded this moment, this forest stands inexplicably before our eyes. This is the way too with social or environmental change. Generations of germination and growth. The fruits may come after the planter has long disappeared. Like a monarch butterfly migrating - it's the generation that begins the journey that makes it possible for the next generation to arrive. I feel a little of this with the...

I'm stepping in to fill-in for the injured Wayne Terryberry on this interpretive hike - on the filled-in floodplain of lower Ancaster Creek, formerly Coldspring Valley Nature sanctuary,  currently McMaster Parking Lot M - also the site of a rehabilitation project that has peeled back the asphalt to create a 30 metre riparian zone to separate the cold-water creek from the parking. Lots to see and discuss, and this hike will have a lot more about the natural science of the space with McMaster Biology prof Susan Dudley.

We're going on a hike to introduce McMaster students (and any other interested participants) to this former RBG Coldspring Valley Nature Sanctuary and coldwater creek floodplain  - currently a parking lot - to examine the past, present and future of this place that is undergoing an important ecological transformation. Tour Leaders  Dan Coleman (English Professor and author of Yardwork: A Biography of an Urban Place ) Randy Kay (Restore Cootes) Judy Major-Girardin (School of the Arts)

What do all these people have in common? They've taken the guided tour of west campus with Restore Cootes! Be like them and come out Friday at 12:30 PM to tour the remnants of Coldspring Valley Nature Sanctuary, McMaster Parking Lot M depaved, Ancaster/Coldwater Creek, and other sites of historical and research interest. Register here:  http://bit.ly/waterweekwalk2017

The longest remaining intact trail fragment from the former Coldspring Valley Nature Sanctuary of the Royal Botanical Gardens (1958-1963) lies just out of sight behind a sign directing cars to parking lots in west campus - the former nature sanctuary long buried beneath asphalt since McMaster University bought the property from the RBG for cheap parking, built later that decade (1968), and persists today. Known as Maria's Walk on old RBG trail maps, it was one of the several trails that weaved through diverse habitat and across the (former) floodplain: the shortest trail of the former system, now the longest remaining footpath. In fact, it's still, a nice trail used by people moving between campus and parking, and other destinations. I hope you stay connected with us at Restore Cootes as we try to get McMaster to improve trail access, and recognize this lovely footpath for its historical role in the area's natural and human history. HISTORY HIKES Restore Cootes...

I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on this book by Daniel Coleman. Daniel has been a great supporter of the work to reclaim parts of the former RBG property known as Coldspring Valley, now Lot M of McMaster parking. Maybe see some of you at The Staircase on May 19th for a reading by Daniel!

I've been invited to join a panel discussion “Stories of the ‘More-than-human’ World” on Thursday, February 2, from 3-5pm at the McMaster Centre for Continuing Education. You can register for the event here: http://bit.ly/MoreThanHumanWorld The sponsor of the panel is the Centre for Community Engaged Narrative Arts ( CCENA ) and this is only their second Long Table Gathering of the Year. So, yes, honored to be invited! I'll be excitedly chatting about Lot M/Coldspring Valley with some cool people, and engaging in an open discussion, so I get to learn while I'm there too! Hope you can make it out, and share your experience too! If you ever want a tour, grab 3 friends and I'll set you up to visit the site! dundastard@gmail.com

CBC Hamilton brings attention to the buried creeks in the city, and talks to some Restore Cootes allies about the work they are doing in Lot M. McMaster Biology's Reyna Matties and Geography and Earth Sciences' Dr. Mike Waddington are featured in the article by CBC Hamilton 's Samantha Craggs. Mike was one of the first professors to really get behind Restore Cootes' project to have McMaster depave the parking lot and look for ways to enhance and protect the health of the adjacent Ancaster Creek. Link to CBC Hamilton article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/ghost-rivers-hamilton-1.3922966 Restore Cootes and McMaster Biology leading a history and science tour at Parking Lot M after the de-paving (note, commenters on the CBC article rightly point out the problem with this sentence: "Centuries ago, Hamilton was a blanket of lush green space. Then along came humans, who wanted more space to build." - of course there were already people here who...

Beneath the shaded graveyard of the Binkley family cemetery is the McMaster Campus Services building. Prior to its construction in the late 1960s, this elevated island of land was the location of the Rim Circuit trail (or AKA Prospect Circuit), part of the Coldspring Valley Nature Sanctuary trails.  Even today the adjacent hillside offers a beautiful canopy, now in fresh spring green. As promised in a previous post , I went back to look for any sign of the former path that once connected the Rim Circuit to the lower Coldspring Path, which is, for all intents and purposes, buried beneath asphalt parking in McMaster's Lot M lot.  Using the hand drawn map that once served to guide nature lovers through the Royal Botanical Garden (RBG) sanctuary, I looked for a relative location to any path down off the steep slopes to the floodplain below. Based on the contours of the RBG trail maps, and the angle of the hillside, it looks like the best candidate is the one pictu...

With the former RBG trail system mostly under pavement since the late 1960s, there remain limited opportunities to hike the natural trails that once threaded their way through Coldspring Valley Nature Sanctuary. Having the former trailheads -- at Thorndale for the "Maria's Walk" trail, and Lakelet Vale which lead to the Rim Circuit trail -- still intact, helps us re-visit the site with our imagination tuned to what it must have been like, and to get our bearings. Having pieced together the location of the mostly intact Maria's walk (broken only by the driveway into the west campus), I've never ventured to take in the view that Rim Circuit would have provided. Until now, that is, and while the trail may have vanished beneath asphalt of the campus service building parking and rear service driveway/yard, I still managed to get a feel for how this trail would have been spectacular in its day. It's a steep drop down to the floodplain, which was onc...

McMaster University's parking lot in the west campus sits atop the floodplain for Ancaster Creek, metres away from Cootes Paradise. Lot M, N, O and P collectively buried a former nature sanctuary owned by the Royal Botanical Gardens known as Coldspring Valley. RESTORE COOTES'  Randy Kay  will be presenting a history of the area this Thursday for the  Dundas Valley Historical Society . More than a history, this talk will provide a window into ongoing positive developments that could bring back much of the natural glory to this special but degraded valley. From Ponds to Parking Lot and Back Again? The History of Coldspring Valley All presentations take place at The Dundas Museum & Archives 139 Park St. West (at Albert) Dundas, Ontario Doors open at 7 p.m. Presentation begins at 7:30 Please come early, as seating is limited. Admission: $2 for members, $3 for non-members For more information, please e-mail Judith Morphet, President of the DVHS http://www.unityserve...

Hopeful start "It shouldn't be a big deal, so hopefully McMaster will get behind the idea." Goal Remove barriers to access on the trail between McMaster parking lot "P" and the west side of the bridge over Cootes. Barriers The barriers are cement and other debris blocking the lower access point to the trail at Lot P No trespassing sign The "speed humps" on the actual trail, making the trail more dangerous. History This trail was part of the Royal Botanical Gardens’ Coldspring Valley Nature Sanctuary, 1958-1963.  This is the longest, mostly intact, surviving trail, after campus parking lot expansion into west campus in 1968. McMaster bought the land from the RBG in 1963. Our Request We will be asking McMaster University to remove barriers to this section of trail (see red stars on map), so that people can use it safely. (blocked at both ends, and “speed humps” on trail) We also want to commemorate the history of the are...

It's mystery day at Restore Cootes. The longest almost intact surviving trail from the former Coldspring Valley Nature Sanctuary (now McMaster parking lots K, M, N, O, P) was the shortest trail in the system: Maria's Walk. From the trailhead at Thorndale Crescent, Maria's walk is today only interrupted by roads built in the late 1960s to service the then new parking lots being constructed on top of the floodplain. RBG Coldspring Valley Trail Map It is a lovely trail that for some reason McMaster has attempted to block access. People of course know a good trail when they see one, and continue to flow around barriers erected by the university to make the short hike between the campus and the parking lot. Northern terminus of Maria's Walk The only other trail remnant is the trail from Lakelet Vale to the parking lot at Campus Services. It has a warning sign. Original trail remnant Lakelet Vale path, use at own risk. Could the university not give Maria...

Ghost Hike into West Campus. Part of OPIRG's MAKING CONNECTIONS week Sep 10 2014, 10:00am - 11:30pm (new time 10am-11:30am) Walk back in time and explore the founding of McMaster University in Hamilton, the relationship between McMaster and the Royal Botanical Gardens' properties, Canada's first modern highway, electric railways, pioneer cemeteries, lost ponds, and "ghost" trails. This roughly one hour walk through west campus will also focus on changes to the parking area to create a naturalized buffer between the asphalt lots and the beautiful Ancaster/Coldspring Creek that passes through McMaster's property. There is no cost for this popular hike, bring a friend and explore the campus in a new way. Your guide is Randy Kay of community group RESTORE COOTES Meet at the OPIRG Office in room 229 McMaster University Student Centre. OPIRG welcomes all to participate in this event, if you require an accommodation to make this event more acces...

From Ponds to Parking, and Back Again: The History of Coldspring Valley. The relationship between McMaster and the Royal Botanical Gardens is intwined by a mutual history, and confounded by conflicting requirements. In 1963 McMaster purchased the Coldspring Valley Nature Sanctuary property from a reluctant RBG and turned it into a massive parking lot. 50 years later is there a chance for the lost floodplain to make a come-back? How's that for a title and synopsis? Would you come and listen if I promise not to go on too long? Pencil in Oct. 9, 2014 at the Dundas Historical Museum (7:30pm start)

Not sure about the resolution on these scans, but if you look closely you can see the former creek bed east (to the right) of the re-aligned Cold Spring Creek (Ancaster Creek), in preparation for McMaster paving the former Coldspring Valley Nature Sanctuary for parking lots. The survey is from 1963, the year McMaster managed to buy the valued property from the reluctant Royal Botanical Gardens.

According to Parking Services at McMaster, the busiest time for parking demand on campus is Tuesdays at around 1:00 pm. Stats provided by Parking show a demand for 2,803 spaces out of a campus supply of almost 4,000 spaces. Having access to real time data would be helpful (and an app that showed drivers where the available lot capacity was would be kind of neat, along with a revamped parking fee structure to allow more flexibility and time of day pricing, etc, but that's another day) I happened to be in the west campus already, realized it was the busy parking time, so I rode around on my bike snapping photos on my iPod touch. Here's some of what I saw that indicates the lot (at peak) has excess capacity: Ward Avenue Lot 12:45pm Lot G 1:00pm Underground 1:03pm Lot H 1:10pm Lot M (a) 12:21pm Lot M (b) 12:22pm Much still needs to happen if we are to reduce parking demand, but to a large degree, it's happening without us. Just take a look aroun...

Coldspring Valley 1960 Looks like some trail building C1960 from this view apparently taken in Coldspring Valley in 1960.  Thanks to Tys at the Royal Botanical Gardens who sent me this photo in May 2011.  We hope to see some construction soon as McMaster prepares to remove asphalt parking spaces in the former nature sanctuary which was paved for McMaster Parking Lot M since 1968.  If anyone recognizes any details related to this image, please feel free to leave a comment here so we can add information.

What Coldspring Valley likely resembled (L), and what it looks like now (R) Using my meagre photoshop skills, I took a photo of floodplain land upstream on Ancaster Creek, and cropped Sarah into the current parking lot. Based on a lot of historical descriptions it is probably fairly close to the truth. Biodiversity loss? Oh yeah? Loss of natural floodplain function? You know it. Oh, and if we want to talk about beauty, I guess we can agree that a parking lot doesn't do much for us other than hold a bunch of drivers' cars, many of whom come from 3 to 5 km away.