All conservation areas close down, including Ken Reid

Effective Tuesday, March 24 all conservation areas within the Kawartha Conservation watershed will be closed to the public. Included in the closure are Ken Reid Conservation Area, the off-leash dog park, Windy Ridge Conservation Area, Pigeon River Headwaters, Fleetwood Creek and Durham East Cross Forest.

“These are not decisions we make lightly or easily,” said Kawartha Conservation CAO Mark Majchrowski. “These decisions were made out of an abundance of caution and to support the calls and direction from our municipal partners, along with the federal and provincial levels of government asking for people to stay home.”

The mandate and mission of conservation authorities is the protection of people and property within their watershed. Closing conservation areas at this time amid the Covid-19 epidemic is consistent with that mandate.

“We must put the health and well-being of our community and our staff first,” said Majchrowski.

Kawartha Conservation staff will work remotely to continue to maintain critical services including flood forecasting and monitoring.

“Our number one priority is to protect the people and property of residents and businesses in the Kawartha watershed,” said Majchrowski. “We will continue to do that by maintaining critical services for the public, while protecting the health and safety of our staff.”

The Kawartha Conservation Administration office will be closed to the public indefinitely. Staff are working remotely and will not be available in the office. Members of the public are asked to communicate with Authority employees by telephone or email.

The leadership team is ensuring the organization continues to provide delivery of essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic and are evaluating the pandemic situation daily; Flood forecasting and warning services will continue without any reduction in service and permit applications can be submitted digitally to their office.

“During this unprecedented and difficult time, we all need to work together to minimize the spread and transmission of Covid-19,” said Majchrowski. “I would like to thank our staff, the public and all of the front-line workers across all sectors who are working to ensure critical services continue to be delivered.”