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Transformation!

From Moon Scape to Green Scape

By Catherine WaltonPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Bell Park Board Walk

At one time, my hometown of Sudbury Ontario was scarred and scorched from nearly a century of mining, first with roast beds and then from the fallout of smokestacks at the smelters. Exposed rock was blackened, tree health spotty and the lakes didn’t fare much better as the effect of acid rain caused many of them to become, in effect – dead lakes.

It wasn’t a desirable place to live to be sure and I think most people came to the area originally, for the mining jobs. There were two mining giants in Sudbury at that time, Inco, and Falconbridge. It was even visited in the early 70's by three astronauts who would be on the last Apollo mission and wanted to see the effects of meteor strikes on the rock.

In 1970 the largest mining operation in Sudbury area was Inco, boasting a workforce of approximately 17,000 strong, undertook to build a superstack which would disburse smoke over a much wider area, sparing the citizenry of Sudbury the direct fallout they had experienced for decades.

By the 80’s as mining jobs were declining, efforts were initiated to start bringing back forests and revitalizing lakes. It seemed it would be a herculean task with so much exposed black rock, so extraordinarily little viable soil and nearly no healthy vegetation on most of it. By treating the acidic soil with lime, the ph levels adjusted and tiny mountains of the lime were deposited throughout the region and spread by employees of the city.

Along with the lime, hearty grass seed was planted that would hold the soil and tiny trees were deposited into the soil with the hope that they could take hold. As remediation efforts continued over several years, sparks of hope were being seen on the hillsides as the nearly 400,000 tiny trees were planted during this period started to take hold, providing for a greener landscape than had been seen in more than four generations of residents.

There were many such lakes in the Sudbury area that had also been destroyed due to the years of mining companies belching out their toxic smoke, and one such lake was a nearly 2000-acre patch in the middle of the city. Ramsey Lake, suffered and was considered a dead lake, but, 30 years on, it’s became a vibrant live lake with aquatic animals and a park boardwalk on the western shore that stretches for 2 km.

And Ramsey Lake sits as a jewel within the city surrounding it, providing so much entertainment and pleasure with Dragon boat races, a Canoe Club, and a Yacht club and festivals and pow wows during the summer months and pond hockey and a skating track of 2 km in the winter, as well as Science North that sits as a giant snowflake on the south west shore.

And while the lake and the surrounding lands have recovered, the citizens too have embraced their stellar city and brought new industry to the area.

So, what do I think of my hometown? Perhaps it’s appreciation for the resiliency of people who came for the work, but stayed on after the decline, diversifying the economy and the overall health of the city, determined to not let Sudbury become a by-word in history. Perhaps it’s the multiculturalism of it. Immigrants the world over came here for the work decades ago and provided the city with a richly layered cultural diversity.

Even the house I live in was once owned by a man who came for the work but was unable to get his family out from behind the iron curtain. He used the house he had bought for his family to house workers from the rail yard, just 100 yards from his home. And even though I never met him, I hope he felt some comfort and companionship until he was able to go back home.

Dragon Boat Races on Ramsey Lake

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About the Creator

Catherine Walton

My work life required a lot of writing. Reports for clients, workshop course material for ongoing education sessions, policies for not for profits and press releases and marketing material and authoring books on governance..

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