By Ruby Pratka

Local Journalism Initiative

Nearly one-third of the territory of the town of Waterloo could be part of an environmentally protected area by 2037, town officials announced last week.

The municipality commissioned a report from the Granby-based Fondation pour la sauvegarde des écosystèmes du territoire de la Haute-Yamaska (SÉTHY), which promotes conservation initiatives around the Haute-Yamaska region. The report, released Feb. 11, included an inventory of existing natural spaces and threatened animal and plant species in the area, listed areas that should be prioritized for conservation based on a point system and laid out detailed recommendations for conservation, focusing on wetlands and forested areas.

The report found that 12 per cent of the municipality’s territory is made up of wetlands and 35 per cent of forested areas; the latter are particularly at risk from expanding residential development. Preserving the continuity of forest corridors, the report’s authors note, is particularly important for protecting vulnerable wildlife.

The report is the latest among several steps the town has taken to protect green space and forested areas in recent years, according to town spokesperson Marilynn Guay Racicot. With support from Appalachian Corridor, she said in a statement, Waterloo is in the process of having its lots south of Lake Waterloo recognized as a nature reserve. In April 2024, councillors adopted the 2024-2028 sustainable development action plan, which prioritized increasing the area of ​​natural environments subject to conservation measures. The town has also mandated SÉTHY to create an ecological inventory of town land over the next few months.

The SÉTHY report listed eight recommendations, including placing a moratorium on the destruction of natural environments, making it easier to integrate elements of the sustainable development action plan into the revised urban plan, restricting the list of allowable uses for green spaces, passing a bylaw to preserve 50 to 70 per cent of green space in areas earmarked for development, allowing the town to use its right of preemption to preserve ecologically sensitive areas, modifying other development bylaws and adding tax incentives for conservation.

The report also laid out a list of vulnerable plant and animal species present in Waterloo, including the threatened least bittern, wood thrush and chimney swift, the serpentine tortoise and the monarch butterfly.

Mayor Jean-Marie Lachapelle said the town intends to implement the report’s recommendations “as much as possible.”

“Waterloo is growing, and it is essential to preserve our natural environments, which are the richness and appeal of our part of the country. Since they are still numerous and of high quality, we have a great opportunity to act now. Without waiting for our conservation plan to be developed, we will take steps to protect several lots belonging to the city to set an example and ensure their preservation for future generations,” Lachapelle said. The report and the forthcoming inventory “give us an idea of where the [ecologically sensitive] areas are” so that when a developer approaches the town with a plan, the municipality can negotiate. 

“The biggest challenge going forward is to manage progress,” he said. “There’s a lot of construction in the town – where are we going, what are we heading toward? This will allow us to make enlightened decisions.”

Lachapelle estimated that the two SÉTHY reports would cost the town a total of about $30,000.