Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority
The Niagara Peninsula Conservation serves approximately half a million people in the Niagara Peninsula Watershed, encompassing the entire Niagara Region and portions of the City of Hamilton and Haldimand County. The NPCA manages the impact of human activities, urban growth, and rural activities on the watershed.
With its unique resources, the Niagara Peninsula is one of the most complex watersheds in the Province. It includes lands drained by the Niagara River, Twenty Mile Creek, the Welland River, the Welland Canal, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. NPCA programs focus on initiatives that help keep people and their property safe from flooding and erosion while retaining our drinking water safe to drink.
Learn more at npca.ca
Conservation Areas
To see a full list of conservation areas, please visit npca.ca
Beamer Memorial Conservation Area
Renowned as the best vantage point in the Niagara Peninsula to observe the annual spring hawk migration, and part of the internationally designated Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve, Beamer Memorial Conservation Area offers one of Niagara’s most breathtaking and panoramic views of the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario.
Take a walk along the scenic Lookout and Bruce Trails and soak up the picturesque views of the 40 Mile Creek Valley, the Lake Ontario shoreline and the escarpment ridge from one of our viewing platforms. Don’t forget your binoculars; you’ll be sure to enjoy the view! Bring your camera to capture amazing pictures year round of the Escarpment cliffs and terraces, Lake Ontario, and the Upper and Lower Falls along the trail. Waters are best viewed in the spring and fall during higher flows. As a natural escarpment property this area has a variety of old growth and interior forest offering a linear wildlife and plant corridor, with Sugar Maple and Red Oak predominately throughout the site as well as some Hemlock and White Cedar.
Hawkwatch Season at Beamer
Beamer Memorial is the site of the annual spring hawk migration over the Niagara Peninsula and is recognized internationally as an official ‘Important Bird Area’. Spectacular birds of prey (bald eagles, sharp-shinned and red tailed hawks and vultures) can be seen flying over the site during their spring migration. Best viewing times are March 1 through May 15 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on warm, sunny days, especially with winds ahead of a warm front.
For an up to date, daily and monthly count of all the birds observed at Beamer please see the link below
https://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/ytd.php
Hawkwatch Open House at Beamer Memorial Conservation Area
Every Good Friday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Live Bird Demonstration, ‘Hawk Talks’, Local interest Group Displays. On-site concessionaire day of Open House.
For more Hawkwatch Details visithttps://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/MoreAboutNPH.htm
History on the Escarpment
Whether you are interested in natural or human history, there is plenty of both to be seen at here. The geological past is evident as the Upper and Lower Falls tumble over the escarpment, cutting their path through rocks of the Silurian and Ordovician periods, which were formed when this area was part of a vast inland sea.
In more recent times, Beamer Memorial was the site of a sawmill powered by water from the creek, a restaurant and the homestead of John and Anna Beamer, early Grimsby settlers. Remnants of a circa 1900 quarry, a mysterious looking landscape through the trees, can also be seen here.
158 Quarry Rd, Grimsby, ON L3M 4E7
The Woolverton Conservation Area is a passive natural area located in the Town of Grimsby. Natural features of a hardwood Sugar Maple forest are conserved on this 18 hectare (46 acres) property, including some of the best examples of escarpment slope, mantled plain and terrace features in Ontario. It provides passive recreational opportunities and is only accessed by the Bruce Trail system. Site activities include bird and wildlife viewing.
175 Woolverton Rd, Grimsby, ON L0R
Set within the breathtaking Twenty Valley, Ball’s Falls Conservation Area offers spectacular scenery and natural beauty. Your visit will begin at the Ball’s Falls Centre for Conservation.
Designed and built to have a limited impact on natural resources, this award winning LEED Gold certified facility features permanent and temporary galleries. Visitors will take pleasure in the interactive exhibits and displays focusing on nature, conservation, and culture in the context of the area’s history, the Niagara Escarpment, and the watershed. The centre is opened Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and offers a variety of programs and special events throughout the year.
Chippawa Creek is a splendid example of conservation in action. The NPCA’s resource management practices have fostered an ideal wildlife habitat that offers rare public access to the Welland River. Recreationalists and naturalists alike will enjoy a variety of opportunities and activities that is uncommon in the southernmost part of Ontario. Many visitors to Chippawa Creek used to think they had to drive north for the experiences available here.
Dils Lake, a 10 hectare man made reservoir, is the perfect spot for a variety of outdoor activities including non-motorized boating, swimming and fishing. Equipped with wheelchair-accessible fishing piers and trails, the lake is populated by a variety of fish species including large mouth bass, crappie and carp and is a favourite amongst area anglers, many of whom attend the annual Bass Derby held each July. Additional events hosted by the Campers' Recreation Committee include Canada Day parase, Halloween Celebrations, and Christmas in July.
Binbrook is home to the Lake Niapenco reservoir, the largest inland lake in the Niagara Watershed.
Well known as a “hot spot” for fishing, Binbrook Conservation Area also plays host to annual fishing derbies. Other facilities that can be found at Binbrook include a swimming beach, children’s splash pad, picnic facilities, nature trails, observation platforms and a play area. It resembles cottage country, and the impressive part is, it’s close to home!