One of Mississauga’s conservation areas gets brand new boardwalks

A Mississauga conservation area that many consider to be one of the city’s finest natural gems will have a different look this summer.

The work at Rattray Marsh Conservation Area is nearing completion and with that will bring new boardwalks to allow visitors better access to the various pathways.

The upgrades started earlier this year and are slated to be complete by mid-July, says Jamie Williams, a spokesperson for Credit Valley Conservation (CVC), the organization responsible for protecting, restoring and managing the natural area that is located at the lakefront in the Clarkson area of the city.

Already the pathway known as the Knoll Trail has been reconstructed and is fully accessible with the section of the waterfront trail between Bexhill Rd. and Jack Darling Memorial Park, heading east, expected to be completed and fully open next week. After that work will commence on the trail between Bexhill and Sheridan Creek, heading west.

The Waterfront Trail boardwalk needed to be moved due to a buried Enbridge pipeline that bisects the property.

“The pipeline is currently not in operation and is filled with inert gas,” she says.

CVC, in consultation with the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, chose an alternate route for the Waterfront Trail “with no net negative impact to the sensitive ecology of the marsh.”

The project cost $262,882 and about 73 per cent of the cost was funded through the Canada Infrastructure Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure stream.

The Waterfront Trail upgrades represent the last of three federal-funded trail projects at Rattray Marsh, says Williams. The Silver Maple Trail and Knoll Trail upgrades were completed in 2021, which involved the replacement of aging trail infrastructure and improvements to make the Knoll Trail fully accessible.

The marsh is an important habitat for birds, butterflies, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. In 2021, 444,800 people visited Rattray Marsh.

Visitors should note that access to the conservation area from Silver Maple Lane is now closed due to the Region of Peel’s construction of a new pump station.

For further information, visit the website at www.cvc.ca/discover-our-parks/rattray-marsh/