| There are more than 300 Conservation Reserves in Ontario. The vast majority of new Protected Areas created through Ontario's Living Legacy have been designated as Conservation Reserves. Conservation Reserves are regulated under the Public Lands Act. Resource Management Plans and Statements of Conservation Interest are the planning documents guiding the management of these areas.
Just like Provincial Parks, Conservation Reserves are areas with significant natural features however they are managed with the least restrictions. For instance, sport hunting is permitted in all Conservation Reserves.
Conservation Reserves have only existed since 1994 whereas the first Provincial Park in Ontario was Algonquin, which was created in 1893. Due to their longer history, parks have more refined regulations. Since most Conservation Reserves do not have staff regularly onsite, signs are used to restrict activities. This is an ineffective way of controlling damaging activities.
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources lacks the tools and resources to manage human activity and adequately protect Conservation Reserves. The impacts of snowmobile and ATV use both on and off trails are visible in many Conservation Reserves.
The Battle to Protect Mellon Lake Conservation Reserve from a Quarry Operation.
Designated as an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI) in 1983, this diverse landscape of forested valleys, ridges and wetlands is home to a number of rare species including the prickly pear cactus and the five-lined skink (Ontario's only lizard!).
In March of 1999, the Mellon Lake area was officially protected as a Conservation Reserve. Palu-Corbelli Corporation, a Toronto based mining company staked claims in this area just 3 weeks prior to this official protection.
In March 2000, Palu-Corbelli Corporation applied for a permit to extract granite from a 36 HA site within the Conservation Reserve. The area under threat contains the highest div ersity and highest concentration of ecologically significant features.
The first permit was denied because the company failed to respond to concerns expressed by opponents, as required under the Aggregate Resources Act. Unfortunately, mining companies can continue to reapply for permits as many times as they like so Palu-Corbelli resubmitted the same application. In August 2002, the full permit was once again denied because the company failed to meet a series of required conditions.
It is unfortunate that permits continue to be denied based on technicalities rather than on the  principal that mining does not belong in Protected Areas. There are still 600 mining claims in Ontario's Protected Areas System that need to be addressed.
The poor management of the Mellon Lake issue gives little hope that nature will be given priority when these other claims are dealt with. The Ministry of Natural Resources' poor handling of the Mellon Lake issue was criticized in the Environmental Commissioner's 2001 Annual Report.
Though Palu-Corbelli Corporation did not receive a permit, they still devastated the area during the exploration phas e, removing dimension stone in 20 tonne blocks with the intent of shipping it to Italy for processing.
There is no shortage of granite in the Canadian Shield. There is no shortage of opportunities for staking mining claims outside Parks and Reserves as the majority of public land is available. But there is a shortage of ecosystems like Mellon Lake.
The Ministry of Natural Resources received over 1000 letters from concerned local citizens and environmentalists opposing the quarry in Mellon Lake. Help Earthroots fight quarries like this one. Check out the Action Page to learn what you can do!
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