By Cecilia Nasmith

Seeking every protection possible for the gem that is Cobourg's west beach, a delegation from Willow Beach Field Naturalists approached Cobourg council at Monday's committee-of-the-whole meeting to make it official and declare the area a Natural Heritage Waterfront Park.

Richard Pope said the presentation he was making had already been made to (and received favourably by) the heritage, parks-and-recreation, planning-and-sustainability and sustainability-and-climate change advisory committees as well as the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority, Survivor-Thrivers Dragon Boat team and Cobourg Dragon Boat and Canoe Club.

The area covered would be bounded by the west side of the centre pier (whose east side is part of the harbour), westward from there and south of the parking area over to cover the entire west headland, the Cobourg Ecology Garden and the west beach (north and west to private-property lines).

The idea is protection, Pope said – the ecology there is fragile. Two hours with a bulldozer, for example, and the west beach would be destroyed.

The area is also a legendary spot for birders, who have spotted more than 268 species around the harbour. As for plant life, 248 species (including some rare ones) have been recorded.

He cited the Parks Master Plan that encouraged so-called nature parks for passive recreational activities such as sailing, canoeing, kayaking, dragon boating, fishing, walking, running, hiking, dog walking, bird watching, picnicking, photography, painting and even just sitting on a bench to enjoy the view.

As well, he continued, this proposal reflects any recommendations that arose from the Waterfront User Needs Assessment.

Upfront costs are negligible, and long-range costs are low. The result would be a downtown passive-area zero-greenhouse-gas-emission jewel of the kind that so many communities can only dream of.

Pope presented two recommendations to council – to find a way to initiate this process immediately, and to ask the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee to work with appropriate staff and key user groups to formulate a detailed proposal for rules and regulations that would apply.

An avid bird-watcher himself, Pope ended his presentation by introducing Dr. Margaret Bain, a recent recipient of the Ontario Field Ornithologists' award of distinction and author of The Wildlife of Cobourg Harbour for a slide show on some significant species to be found in the designated area.

Bain also showed slides of the destruction wreaked five years ago to the headland when tons of dredging material were dumped there. Along with the sand, the debris included such litter as broken glass and plastic wire – not to mention piles of concrete shards.

Councillor Emily Chorley made a motion endorsing the concept Pope and Bain put forward, with no change or development activities to take place at that site until official council consent might come. Meanwhile, the motion called for the parks and recreation advisory committee would be instructed to make recommendations to council (in consultation with staff and the GRCA) on such issues as appropriate boundaries, permitted and prohibited activities, accommodation measures for key user groups and estimated costs.

Community services director Dean Hustwick pointed out that town staff and councillors had always shown a great deal of support for a natural waterfront park as a jewel of the community.

“We have invested many tens of thousands of dollars and a number of years engaging the public,” Hustwick said.

“We have engaged landscape architects, engineers, planners, certified ecologists, other environmentalists and many others as part of that whole process.”

The Parks Master Plan delineates the waterfront into two areas, he added – the west beach as a natural waterfront space and the harbour as an urban waterfront experience. The new Waterfront Plan is very much aligned with the Parks Master Plan, arguing that the natural environment of the west beach be preserved and enhanced.

“From a staff perspective, we have some concerns that this is duplicating but also contradicting some of the recommendations and approach of our two official master plans for this area.

“We have two master plans guiding the long-time protection and evolution of the waterfront. We don't see the need for introducing another administrative concept. We feel there is adequate protection and very specific recommendations on how to protect the waterfront.”

“I believe now is the time or us to take some steps to formalize the use of that area,” Chorley said.

“It's a special environment in terms of its natural plant life and wildlife, and I think the people of Cobourg are asking us to protect it and create a park.”

“I agree we have to keep the wildlife and sustainability, and I am all for that,” Councillor Adam Bureau responded.

“But this has been in two master plans that would keep it natural. We agreed that this council would not expand the west harbour and keep it natural. I strongly feel you are duplicating what's already there.”

Mayor John Henderson pointed out two sections of the boardwalk that cannot necessarily be treated as town property – the part abutting the Cobourg Ecology Garden and the stretch just south of the former West Field area that served physical-education programming at CDCI West. In fact, Henderson said, a situation might arise where the school board – which owns the West Field – could require the town to rip out that sector of the boardwalk at its own cost.

Councillor Brian Darling said he favoured deferring the matter entirely until a comprehensive report from staff could be submitted in early 2020. This was put forward as a motion, which passed with only Chorley and Councillor Nicole Beatty voting in opposition.