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North Shore green space activists who are trying to obtain greater protection for a large wooded tract in the Town of Two Mountains scored a victory when the mayor accepted the idea of having the Boisé Deux-Montagnes declared a "natural reserve" by the province. Richard Dumoulin of les Amis du Boisé asked Mayor Marc Lauzon during a town council meeting in August whether Two Mountains would be willing to seek the natural reserve designation, which is a status conferred by the Quebec's Ministry of Parks, Environment and Durable Development. "We are moving forward with this project," Lauzon said, committing himself to the initiative.
Criteria to qualify
The Boisé, which is located a stone's throw from the AMT's Two Mountains commuter rail station, is the largest undeveloped tract of forest land remaining on the town's territory. According to an environmental piece of legislation adopted by the government six years ago, the ministry is now empowered to recognize and declare tracts of private land with natural features worth preserving as natural reserves. In order to be recognized, a property must have characteristics, in terms of its ecology, fauna, flora, geology, geomorphology or landscape, that make it worth conserving. The government hopes to build up an inventory of privately-owned, protected natural spaces in this way.
Measures prevent cutting
Efforts to obtain the recognition status, which lasts at least 25 years but can be permanent, must be initiated by the land's owner. The Boisé Deux-Montagnes is managed by a non-profit group known as the Corporation des Boisés et des Parcs Naturels. Several residents and a member of town council sit on the corporation's board. "I find it very interesting that you saw that particular opportunity to reinforce the protection there or to better secure," said Lauzon, pointing out that the town already has measures in place that are aimed at preventing the unneccesary cutting of trees in the woods for whatever reason.
'It's ago,' mayor says
According to Lauzon, one of the main advantages to property owners of the natural reserve status is that it makes it possible for them to reduce the amount of tax they have to pay. "This is a project that we will definitely be moving forward with, because it's certain that we have to take care of it." Lauzon said a town employee would be delegated to liaison with the provincial ministry, "to see that in this project we get everything that's coming to us … It is really the users who will benefit the most and that's what we want … In view of the fact that it is mandated by the town to take care of the wooded area, it will really be the Corporation that will be handling the dossier vis-à-vis the town."
Dossier fast-tracked
Lauzon told Dumoulin the dossier is likely to advance quickly. "It's not something that is very complicated," he said. "We have people with us here who have the competencies to work with dossiers like that, so it's certain that we have no interest in making something like that drag on unnecessarily without reason. What is certain is that we are going to be working with government administrators. We will be proceeding at the speed that the administrators — by administrators I mean the Ministry — will want to proceed at. But someone will be mandated, will have some reporting to do each month on that issue … We will be going as fast as possible, and I think all the council members here also agree that it's a good idea."
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