History

Conservation Halton was established more than 60 years ago to protect our communities from flooding and erosion but we have grown to become so much more. Today, it is our responsibility to prepare our communities for the impacts of climate change, support our partners in creating more sustainable communities, manage our natural areas and resources within the watershed, monitor and enhance the environmental health of our watershed and create opportunities to connect with nature through recreation and education. Conservation Halton has come a long way over the years. Here is an overview of our journey.

Hurricane Hazel displaced 4,000 families from their homes and took the lives of 80 people in Ontario in 1954. The catastrophic flooding from the hurricane was a key reason for the formation of conservation authorities and the establishment of regulations in Ontario.

Sixteen Mile Creek Conservation Authority formed on December 20, 1956

Twelve Mile Creek Conservation Authority formed on June 12, 1958

Sixteen Mile Creek Conservation Authority established the Esquesing Conservation Area, which remains in Halton Hills, in 1958.

Twelve Mile Creek Conservation Authority acquired the area now known as Mount Nemo Conservation Area, to prevent the expansion of a quarry operation in 1959.

Sixteen Mile Creek Conservation Authority established the Sixteen Valley Conservation Area, which remains in Milton, in 1959.

Sixteen Mile Creek Conservation Authority acquired the area now known as Kelso Conservation Area for water management purposes in 1960.

Twelve Mile Creek Conservation Authority established the Shananhan Resource Management Area, which remains in Burlington, to protect the headwaters of Bronte Creek in 1960.

Sixteen Mile Creek Conservation Authority established the Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area in 1961.

Twelve Mile Creek Conservation Authority acquired the area now known as the Carlisle Conservation Area for water management purposes in 1961.

Twelve Mile Creek Conservation Authority acquired lands in Nassagaweya Township to establish a forest acquisition program in 1961.

Sixteen Mile Creek Conservation Authority acquired lands in Oakville to establish a floodplain acquisition and management program in 1962.

Twelve Mile Creek Conservation Authority acquired the Campbellville Community Pond and Twiss Resource Management Area in 1962.

Sixteen Mile Creek Conservation Authority established the Escarpment Resource Management Area near Dufferin Quarry in Milton in 1962.

Twelve Mile Creek Conservation Authority and Sixteen Mile Creek Conservation Authority merged to form the Halton Region Conservation Authority in 1963.

Halton Region Conservation Authority established the Burns Conservation Area in 1963.

Halton Region Conservation Authority established the McLean Resource Management Area to protect the headwaters of Bronte Creek in 1963.

Halton Region Conservation Authority took over operation and management of Glen Eden Ski Area in 1964.

Halton Region Conservation Authority opened the Kelso Dam and Reservoir to control water in the Sixteen Mile Creek watershed in 1964.

Halton Region Conservation Authority established the Mountsberg Conservation Area for water management purposes, and as a wildlife sanctuary, in 1964.

Halton Region Conservation Authority opened the Mountsberg Dam and Reservoir to control water in the Twelve Mile Creek watershed in 1965.

Halton Region Conservation Authority initiated a floodplain mapping and aerial photography program for the watershed in 1966.

Halton Region Conservation Authority established the Hilton Falls Conservation Area in 1967.

Halton Region Conservation Authority established the Tirion Resource Management Area to protect escarpment lands northwest of Milton in 1967.

Halton Region Conservation Authority established the Crawford Resource Management Area to protect escarpment lands south of Campbellville in 1968.

Halton Region Conservation Authority established the Crawford Lake Conservation Area in 1969.

Halton Region Conservation Authority opened the Morrison-Wedgewood Diversion Channel to divert flood waters in Oakville, west to the Sixteen Mile Creek, in 1969.

Halton Region Conservation Authority opened the Scotch Block Dam and Reservoir to control water in the Sixteen Mile Creek watershed in 1971.

Halton Region Conservation Authority acquired the Lake Medad Resource Management Area near Grindstone Creek in Flamborough in 1972.

Halton Region Conservation Authority opened the Hilton Falls Dam and Reservoir to control water in the Sixteen Mile Creek watershed in 1973.

Halton Region Conservation Authority initiated the Milton Flood Control project to reduce flooding in the core area of the town in 1973.

Archaeological investigations at the Crawford Lake Conservation Area uncovered evidence of an Indigenous longhouse village in 1973.

Halton Region Conservation Authority established the McCroden Resource Management Area to protect a wetland in Halton Hills in 1973.

The Halton Region Conservation Foundation was formed to raise funds for watershed conservation programs in 1975.

Halton Region Conservation Authority acquired the Kiwanis Resource Management Area to protect escarpment lands near the Halton Agreement Forest Tract in 1975.

Halton Region Conservation Authority constructed the Halton Hills Channel on Sixteen Mile Creek above Scotch Block Dam to reduce local flooding in 1976.

Halton Region Conservation Authority opened the Hager-Rambo Diversion Channel in Burlington to divert the upper Hager and Rambo Creeks west to Indian Creek to reduce local flooding in 1977.

Halton Region Conservation Authority acquired property on Burlington Beach to initiate the Lake Ontario Waterfront program in 1977.

Halton Region Conservation Authority acquired significant wetlands at the Bunker Tract, which is a headwater area for Bronte Creek, and the Beverly Swamp in Flamborough, in 1982.

Halton Region Conservation Authority completed the Milton Flood Control Channel to reduce flooding in downtown Milton in 1984.

Halton Region Conservation Authority opened what was known at the time as the Crawford Lake Iroquoian Village and Conservation Centre in 1984

Halton Region Conservation Authority initiated the Hager-Rambo Flood Control project in Burlington in 1985.

Halton Region Conservation Authority acquired the Harrison Resource Management Area near Campbellville in 1985.

Halton Region Conservation Authority was given official responsibility for management of the Lake Ontario shoreline in 1987.

Halton Region Conservation Authority opened the Wolf Clan Longhouse at Crawford Lake Conservation Area in 1993.

Halton Region Conservation Authority opened the Raptor Education Centre at Mountsberg in 1995.

Halton Region Conservation Authority was forced to shift our funding model after the government of Ontario pulled more than 60 percent of funding.

Halton Region Conservation Authority became known, publicly, as Conservation Halton in 2000.

Conservation Halton published the first report about the health of the watershed, known as the Watershed Report Card, in 2001.

The Milton Limestone Quarry was donated to Conservation Halton for restoration, and became known as Kelso Quarry Park, in 2006.

Conservation Halton adopted the logo that is currently in use in 2013.

Conservation Halton was forced to shift operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result, launched a new reservation system in 2020.

Conservation Halton opened Kelso Quarry Park, currently known as Area 8, to the public in 2021.