Little Bluff closed until further notice
Administrator | Jul 29, 2020 | Comments 8
Little Bluff Conservation Area will be closed for use until further notice, starting Friday, July 31.
Kirsten Geisler, of Quinte Conservation, stated Wednesday that any use of the area is not permitted at this time.
“Individuals are asked to respect the closure and those caught violating this closure may be subject to a fine,” she said. “The decision to re-open the area will be evaluated on a week-by-week basis starting Aug. 14th.”
The decision to limit vehicle access into the area was made last week and although Quinte Conservation does not have the authority to stop individuals from parking roadside, it was not encouraged.
“This however, did not deter individuals from parking along the municipal road in order to access the area,” said Geisler. “After multiple reports regarding the safety of other drivers trying to pass parked vehicles on the narrow road, Quinte Conservation has made the difficult decision to completely close the area until further notice.”
Quinte Conservation staff will be monitoring the area closely and encourage neighbours of Little Bluff to report their concerns and non-emergencies to 613-968-3434 or by email at info@quinteconservation.ca.
Filed Under: Local News
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If the County is being overwhelmed, why are the County sites still advertising so much? With the Sandbanks at capacity, why are you advertising our “Gems” that the locals could go to and could take their children to? I think it wpuld have saved a lot of “hate responses” this summer if locals still had the little gems
The County has lost its innocence. Due to crowding, On weekends many conservation areas around Toronto have parking attendants, staff monitoring visitor behaviour and proper bathroom facilities. The time has come for the County to “grow up” and put the proper measures in place such that what happened at Little Bluff doesn’t become a regular occurrence. The days of locals having their “secret beach” are long gone. It is only natural that if Sandbanks closes, daytrippers will look for another beach rather than head home. Unfortunately increased crowds means increased poor behaviour which is exasperated by a lack of facilities. Let’s face it, in this day and age calling Little Bluff a conservation area, with a single outhouse on the edge of a scrappy parking lot and an honour system for paid parking, is a bit of a joke.
Accessibility isn’t always a good thing when it comes to unique and fragile natural areas. Visitors should have to earn their reward of spectacular scenery by hiking in from the paved road or paddling in from the bay side. Automobiles and motor boats take away from the wilderness experience at Little Bluff as well as Point Petre and Prince Edward Point. It also inviteS people who really don’t respect nature, just looking for a spot to get “wild” and crazy and snap selfies for their social media. What is wrong with people who can’t obey rules! For the elderly and those with disabilities perhaps some exceptions could be made but not by paving trails and building public washrooms in wildlife habitat. We need Government leadership at the municipal and provincial levels to protect the existing green spaces while investing in acquiring more land for protection and recreation. Support the Nature Conservancy of Canada now working locally with an office in Napanee.
This is a problem which has been building up for many years. Regulation and enforcement are long overdue! I would like to ask those who continue to promote tourism at the expense of local residents and the environment: how would you feel if someone came to visit you in your home, only to dump garbage all over it, urinate and defecate in it, poison and/or terrorize the birds and animals in your yard, make so much noise you can’t sleep at night, and verbally abuse you when you try to stop their behaviour? Would you encourage them to come back? Of course not! Local residents, and especially those of us with roots in the County, are tired of this, and we are very, very angry! It’s time to stop tolerating bad behaviour without repercussions. Protect what’s left of our County before it’s too late!
This is a very negative milestone. I agree it needs to be closed. Keep it closed. A sign of things to come … As others have said: the cat is out of the bag in the County.
Also, thank you to the folks in South Bay, Long Point et al. who have spent their own time cleaning garbage and trying to keep little bluff beautiful. Your work doesn’t go un-noticed.
I hope that the promise of fines aren’t simply empty words. Its a slap against law abiding citizens when appropriate repercussions aren’t applied to infractions.
Very unfortunate for visitors although a benefit for the land and wildlife.
I agree with Simone. Set an example.
What I find even more concerning is that the population explosion is largely uncontrolled in the County. Is this a sign of times to come? Is this trend expected in other areas and what should the County do to mitigate this issue for locals and visitors alike? After all, it’s not just visitors but there are so many people moving and relocating here who want to enjoy our shores, water and sun. No room at the INN. All filled up.
Thank you for closing completely. The conservation grounds need a reprieve from the swells of people who have descended on this beautiful area with no thought to the land, animals and water life that it is home to. Doing one’s business in the woods/bushes and throwing out/leaving garbage has been detrimental to this awesome spot. I hope the Conservation Authority keeps a keen eye on what is happening here and this means not for a short time also. No warnings should be given out. If the appropriate signage is posted then issue the fine as indicated. Word of mouth plays a huge timely factor and once known that a fine will be issued if not obeying the closure it will soon get around that the County means business.
Hopefully it will return to itself in a timely manner.
Will there be monitoring for those that show up via water craft?
Thanks for listening to the concerns of the people who care about Little Bluff.
Please provide signage in both official languages as I can see people trying to say that they did not understand what the signs indicated.
Thank you.
S. Armstrong