March 19, 2024

For the Love of the Valley fundraiser event

BY KATE RUSSELL — Fun times in fundraising on Friday night March 15th at the For the Love of the Valley event at the updated Marsh Street Centre in Clarksburg.

Musician and Beaver Valley lover Paul Woolner and other dedicated volunteers set up the evening in support of the Escarpment Corridor Alliance (ECA). His band – Live the Dash - opened for award-winning local legends the MacKenzie Blues Band.

“We are rallying community spirit to envision what could be done on the lands,” said Jarvis Strong, Executive Director of the ECA to explain the purpose for the sold out event. The organization was formed in response to development pressures at two sites on the Niagara Escarpment.

The dance floor filled up as Live the Dash tore through a great set, even getting the audience to sing along “up the valley to find our soul”. The Mackenzie Blues Band then built the energy with Tara’s voice keening for the valley animals, rivers and trees who have no voice. Some in the crowd howled along as they sent love to the wilderness.

The Castle Glen and former Talisman development proposals both represent the potential for huge breaks in the wild corridor that is the Niagara Escarpment. Despite historic protections on the land, the ECA knows it will have to build “collective impact” to stop inappropriate mega development.

“They are both at risk of being developed,” said ECA founder Stephen Griggs, during a break between bands. He lives near the Talisman site, where formerly public-owned land was sold to a private developer against local resident outcry. He thanked those gathered who supported the idea of protecting the Beaver Valley location and the Castle Glen forest. Even noting the presence of Grey Highlands councillors Nadia Dubyk and Joel Loughead who were recognized for their attention and concern. “They’ve been wonderful supporters of the work we’re doing at ECA.”

The new non-profit charity was registered in September 2023. It started with Griggs and co-founder Bruce Harbinson sitting around a kitchen table lamenting about the potential overdevelopment of natural space on the Southern Georgian Bay area of the Niagara Escarpment – a UNESCO Biosphere. They knew the importance of protecting a wildlife corridor to preserve natural spaces against the rush of deep-pocketed Toronto developers to claim and exploit it with what the ECA website calls “mini-cities.”

“Now we’re up to 10,000 followers,” Griggs said, offering his amazement at going from the tens, then hundreds, then thousands of supporters, who have helped raise enough funds to study the ecology of the area and prepare for the coming challenge to developing the areas. “Come out and hear more about what we’re doing in April.”

ECA has been surveying the communities within their area of concern and has held public visioning sessions on what could be done at the former Talisman property. It has also hired Strong, who took a moment at the mic to thank all the volunteers and the musicians for the event and the foundation the ECA has managed to establish toward their goals.

“In the 13 years I’ve run charities to benefit the community and environment,” he offered, “this board is like none other I’ve ever worked with. The best fundraising we do is like this, this is the secret sauce.”

This is what makes it a success, he added, saying the ECA has big plans for the region for an eco-wildlife corridor, which is great for nature, great for community and great for the economy. More detail on the outcomes of the survey and visioning is available online at myescarpment.ca.

“We’ve got to protect these hot spots,” Strong concluded, asserting we can do it together “by bringing people together, rallying community and rolling up our sleeves.”

 

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