Eramosa Karst - Hamilton Conservation Authority

Welcome to... Eramosa Karst Conservation Area
Hours of Operation
Located in Hamilton on Upper Mount Albion Road
between Highland Road West and Rymal Road East,
Eramosa Karst is open daily.
For the latest event listings, outdoor guides and more,
visit our website at: www.conservationhamilton.ca
or call HCA’s main office information line at 1-888-319-4722.
Nearby:
1 Mount Albion Conservation Area located on Dartnall Rd.
south of Stone Church Road
Felker’s Falls Conservation Area located on Ackland St.
Devil’s Punch Bowl located on Ridge Road
2 Chippawa Rail Trail which starts on Stone Church Road
west of Dartnall Rd.
The printing of this brochure was made
possible through the generosity of the
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
This brochure is printed on recycled paper and can be recycled. Printed 2009.
How to get to...
Eramosa Karst Conservation Area
QEW
Red Hill Valley
Parkway
403
1
2
Eramosa Karst
53
UPPER MNT. ALBION RD.
You and your passengers gain easy entry to our
conservation areas, plus unique privileges and a list of
membership rewards, each valued at up to $36!
Call or visit us to learn more about how you can receive
Nature’s Rewards!
STONECHURCH RD. E.
PRITCHARD RD.
Your HCA Membership Pass Nature’s Rewards card lets
you enjoy unlimited membership entry
for one full year to the Hamilton Conservation Areas.
MUD ST.
DARTNALL RD.
LINK
RYMAL RD.
20
HIGHLAND RD.
CENTENNIAL PRKWY.
Buy your pass
online: www.conservationhamilton.ca
or by calling 905-525-2181
Hamilton Conservation Authority
Welcome to...
Eramosa Karst Conservation Area
The Eramosa Karst is Hamilton Conservation Authority's
newest conservation area. Filled with underground caves
and streams, meadows and forests, this is one of the
watershed’s unique natural gems. Eramosa Karst is
located in the southwestern section of the
Stoney Creek area of
Hamilton. It extends from
Highland Road south to
Rymal Road, and from
Upper Mount Albion Road
to Second Road West. A
perfect location for hiking,
nature appreciation, and
education, Eramosa Karst is
a one-of-a-kind property in
Hamilton’s natural inventory.
Geology
Karsts are geological formations including underground
drainage, caves and passages caused by dissolving rock,
found in limestone formations like the Niagara Escarpment.
The Eramosa Karst contains examples of 16 different karst
features. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
designated the Eramosa Karst lands as an Area of Natural
and Scientific Interest in 2003, and it is believed to have the
largest number of unique karst features in any protected
area in the province. Several of its karst features are
provincially significant. These include: soil pipes, a high
concentration of sinkholes and sinking streams, overflow
sinks, dry valleys and a 335 metre-long cave (the tenth
longest in Ontario). There is also a natural dolomitic
limestone bridge at the entrance of one of the sinkholes.
The surface and groundwater drainage system that created
the karst originated about 13,000 years ago, after the last
glacier retreated. Today, the drainage system sustains the
karst and provides examples of karst processes and
features in different stages of development.
The term “karst” is derived from a Slavic word that means
barren, stony ground. It is also the name of a region in
Slovenia well-known for sinkholes and springs. Geologists
have adopted “karst” as the term for all such terrain and
describes the whole landscape, not any single feature. A
karst landscape most commonly develops on limestone,
but can develop on several other types of rocks such as
dolostone (magnesium carbonate or the mineral dolomite),
gypsum, and salt. Precipitation infiltrates into the soil and
flows into the subsurface from higher elevations generally
towards a stream at lower elevations.
Biology
The Eramosa Karst area is
made up of meadow, thicket,
woodland and forest. It is
located in the Davis Creek
watershed. The forest area is
made up of Sugar Maple,
Ironwood, Hawthorn, Gray
Dogwood, White Ash, Black Cherry,
American Beech, Red Oak, Butternut,
Shagbark Hickory and a variety of
smaller native plant species. There are
numerous species of mammals, reptiles and amphibians
including Wild Turkey, Coyote, White-tailed Deer, Meadow
Voles, and the Cottontail Rabbit. Red-eyed Vireos, Indigo
Buntings, Savannah Sparrows and the Red-tailed Hawk are
common birds found throughout this naturally rich area.
Education
The diversity of geological and hydrological features, and its
central location in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, make the
Eramosa Karst one of the best sites in Ontario for education
and research opportunities.
How to Enjoy Your Stay
East Mountain Trail Loop
The Eramosa Karst
Conservation Area is a
unique area of natural and
scientific interest. More than
four kilometres of trails,
boardwalks and bridges
take you through
escarpment forests and
meadows, unique
geological formations and a
beautiful natural
amphitheatre. Interpretive
panels throughout display
facts about the area’s
natural inventory and history.
The East Mountain Trail Loop is a result of the Red Hill
Valley Open Space Replacement Strategy which identifies
85 ha of new public open space for a multi-use trail. It will
connect the Eramosa Karst Conservation Area to other
HCA and City of Hamilton open space, parkland and
waterfalls on the East Hamilton and Stoney Creek
Mountain such as Felker’s Falls, Albion Falls, Valley Park
& Mount Albion Conservation Area.
So all our visitors who use this conservation area may enjoy
their stay, we ask you to observe the following:
- Please do not deface, remove, disturb or damage any property, rocks,
plants, birds, or mammals in the conservation area.
- Please carry out what you carry in.
- For the protection of wildlife, always keep your pets on leashes.
- Alcohol use and possession are prohibited.
- Firearms, hunting, and trapping are forbidden.
- Snowmobiles, ATV’s, and motorized vehicles are prohibited except by
Authority permit.
- Vending, soliciting and advertising are not allowed, except by written
permission of Hamilton Conservation Authority.
- This is a Niagara Escarpment property with sinkholes and caves.
Please do not leave children unattended.
- Stay on trails.
Heritage Green Community Trust
Thanks to the Heritage Green Community Trust, Hamilton’s
newest conservation area opened June 20, 2008 as a
Hamilton Conservation Authority 50th anniversary project.
The 180-acre site was officially transferred to HCA by the
Province of Ontario on October 23, 2006.
The Heritage Green Community Trust donated $1.5 million to
pay for the development and long-term maintenance of the
property.
Yours to Enjoy...and Protect
The Loop will link to the Chippawa
Rail Trail, Bruce Trail, Red Hill Valley,
Trans Canada and Ontario
Waterfront Trails. The project brings
a new inventory of natural areas with
strong connecting green corridors
that provide significant “human” and
wildlife habitat in East Hamilton. The
Hamilton Conservation Foundation
is raising funds for HCA’s 3.1 km
portion of the 10 kilometre trail.
The Heritage Green Community Trust was established May
1997 to provide grants to community, educational or charitable
organizations of upper Stoney Creek. Qualifying recipients
must clearly provide demonstrable benefits to residents in the
City of Stoney Creek residing south of the Niagara Escarpment
and within three kilometers of the perimeter of the Newalta
Stoney Creek Landfill Site.
Friends of Eramosa Karst
The Friends of the Eramosa Karst was formed to
promote the preservation of 80 acres of
environmentally significant feeder lands on the
eastern border of the conservation area. They are
citizen supporters who actively work for the
conservation of this parcel of land.
www.friendsoferamosakarst.org