The Brock University Research and Innovation Centre is certainly surrounded by a landscape that is breathtaking. With a calm neighborhood across the street, and an abundance of forest area behind it, leading up to Brock University, it is great how the school was able to build the Research Centre in that spot. The building is home to different groups of people who collaborate with each other to gain deeper strength and knowledge. One organization that the complex houses is the Brock-Niagara Centre for Health and Well-being that aims to enhance the quality of life for all people by using special workouts and activities that promote a healthy and productive style of living. They use a variety of workout machines and aerobics exercises, often aimed at elderly citizens to have them moving the best they can. The site also houses the Tecumseh Centre for Aboriginal Research and Education. The complex was originally named Captain John Decew, and it was constructed in 1968 with an addition added in 1999. The back of the complex is a sight to see with a big open field that is perfect for any sport or activity desired, and the view is unbelievable. As seen in figure 1 above, the complex is situated right under the Niagara escarpment which really makes the whole area just come to life.

Municipality: St. Catherines, Ontario

Local area name: Brock University

Latitude and longitude: 43.123859; -79.250977

Physical Dimensions (for research centre only)

Length: 55 metres

Width: 45 metres

Surface Area: 5864.4 metres squared

Elevation: Highest Point: 125 m; Lowest Point: 120 m

The Brock Research and Innovation Centre is a beautiful piece of land owned by Brock University which features the building itself situated right beneath the Niagara Escarpment and Bruce Trail, and a fast walk or drive from the main campus of Brock University. The building and the location of the building have a rich history, with the building being built in 1968 to act as a public elementary school for St. Catherine's children growing up in that area, and now having it act as an educational and physical institute owned and operated by Brock University, and is home to many different research and health wellness groups. The local area has undergone many changes throughout its history and there has even been some disputes regarding the boundaries of which Brock University and the Niagara Escarpment Commission over who gets what, which will be discussed. This report will cover the historical and physical changes to my landscape over time and expand on how the area and wildlife surrounding the Niagara Escarpment and research Centre has evolved.

Map 1: The location of the Brock Research and Innovation Centre as seen from Google Maps above.

The Niagara Escarpment has always been known for its amazing landscape and its breathtaking view. With trees and wildlife extending hundreds of kilometers, some biologists have gone to say that the Escarpment is one of the, if not the, most diverse regions in the province of Ontario. There is a great abundance of wildlife and plants that occupy the Research Centre and its surrounding area. The escarpment is home to 36 species of reptiles and amphibians, 53 species of mammals, 90 species of fish and more than 350 species of birds. The plants and trees that surround the Centre and the Escarpment, more specifically the Brock Escarpment-Decew Forest, were in abundance when viewing the site. Some rare species can sometimes be found such as Pignut Hickory, Bitternut Hickory, Pawpaw and Butternut. Also, the Great Horned Owl can sometimes be seen in habitats like this. Due to St. Catherine's/Niagara Falls warmer type climate, all this wildlife is able to exist in peace because the resources are there to support them. There have been more changes to the Escarpment in the past 100 years then there were in the past 9000 years before that and it does not take much to understand why. With the population growing more year by year and the insane development that has happened in the last century or so, people were looking for a way to walk in the forest but had no main pathway to use, so the Bruce Trail was invented in the early 1960s, now giving people a chance to explore the trail and Escarpment in a whole new way. As seen in the pictures taken, the vegetation is insane as the trees go for hundreds and hundreds of feet on end. There were also deer and other animals that would just do their own thing even if you get pretty close to them. Typical animals such as squirrels and chipmunks allow you to get within feet of them before running off, most likely due to the fact that they live in such peace that they do not have to run away when they see someone approaching them, compared to seeing one in a city or suburb, they will just look and run with no hesitation. The nature surrounding the Research Centre is truly amazing to look at and the wildlife there represents much of the wildlife in all of St. Catherine's/Niagara.

The Brock Research and Innovation Centre is a small building located on a piece of land a couple hundred meters long. The land surrounding the building and the building itself all used to be forest land at one point. Around the mid to late 1960s when expansion was growing in the St. Catherine's area, it was decided that there was to be a public elementary school placed in that location, right under the Escarpment and Bruce Trail. The school was named after John Decew, an old Canadian military fighter who will get touched on later on. The school was finished in 1968 along with a big flat field in the back part of the school where children would play during recess. In the slideshow above/below, you can see the Research and Innovation Centre site before it was even built. Like most time lapses, the pictures of the site and the main location of Brock University used to be just empty fields of grass, wheat, or whatever crop the people of that time were planting. Each 10 or so years, a new major addition gets added onto the map, showing how far the landscape and the University have come over the past fifty years. There have been many land disputes over the years involving Brock University, St. Catherine's city council, and the Niagara Escarpment Committee. For years, Brock University has been trying to turn the forest land that the Research Centre backs up onto from a forest to a residential subdivision, but the NEC had other ideas. They decided that they were going to turn 90% of that land into natural are, rather than urban area. This effectively made it impossible for the school to build what they had desired because they did not have the space anymore. Brock and the NEC had been going at each other for years over this matter and it came down to the city of Niagara to side with the NEC and rule in favor of their argument that the forest area should stay as a forest. Millions of dollars were at stake on this decision on Brock's behalf, so they were not too pleased when they learned no extension would be happening involving the Escarpment.

Near the Brock Research and Innovation Centre there is a waterway that runs through the Niagara Peninsula and Niagara Region. It was originally named twelve mile creek because its outlet to Lake Ontario is located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the Niagara River. It drains a watershed of about 178 square kilometres, which is then grouped into six sub-watersheds. The creek does have some interesting features about it, such as that it is the only cold water stream in the region of Niagara that has a self-sustaining Brook Trout population. In past health reports that have assessed how Twelve Mile Creek is holding up year after year, it has been realized that the grades the creek used to get for good health were going away due to reduced natural vegetation and more hard surfaces, such as roads. Industrial and domestic pollution are also a factor that dwindles the watershed and is detrimental to the fish and native species living in the stream, such as the Brook Trout. There have been big efforts in past years to improve the quality of the watershed so the stream and its wildlife could live healthier. Healthy watersheds also lead to decreased flooding and erosion risks. Restoration processes have been going on in the creek ever since the watershed has been in jeopardy, which include planting and reforestation. Anything that will boost the wildlife quality in nature is good when it comes to restoration.

The Research and Innovation Centre is situated right underneath the Niagara Escarpment which means it is surrounded by trees, plants, wildlife and many other giving organisms that can be found in the Escarpment. This plays a factor into the climate of the area because oxygen comes from the trees and plants so they are all able to provide the people of St. Catherine's and people near Brock better air quality and a more relaxed climate where it is easy to breathe. Just recently in August 2021, the Bruce Trail Conservancy had announced the largest acquisition of land in the organizations history. They secured over 500 acres in a new nature reserve, and will be expanding on the trail by offering a new hiking experience. This could either affect the climate in a good way or a bad way. It could be beneficial to the overall climate because the more people going out on runs on trails means less people driving or using gas powered machinery, which emit smoke and bad chemicals from them and allow for the air to worsen. With more people walking, the climate should be able to stay the same which is a humid continental climate. It could be bad for the climate however due to deforestation and human disturbances. Factors such as these may lead to less natural area than there used to be, which in turn would affect the climate and the way living organisms live.

The first known settlers of the St. Catherine's area were settled by 3000 United Empire Loyalists near the end of the 18^th Century. From 1790 onward, the settlement continued to grow as an agricultural community. It only took until 1845 for St. Catherine's to officially be recognized as a city, and in 1854 the city boundaries were expanded, making St. Catherine's bigger than previously. In the 1850s when the American Fugitive Slave Act was passed, many people who were looking for freedom came north to St. Catherine's looking for better lives and to be given an equal opportunity as the person next to them. The freedom seekers worked and built a new life for themselves here, and were even supported by the local politicians at the time. The Brock Research and Innovation Centre's location is a good one because it is situated right across from a suburb and right behind the Niagara Escarpment, truly one interesting place to build. In the early 1960's, the area where the building is today was nothing but grass and field with a few trees scattered here and there. The city of St. Catherine's decided that it would be a good idea to put an elementary school there, most likely due to the growing population in the area. In 1968, Captain John Decew Public School was completed and ready to be used. The school had operated for a couple of decades before it was closed down and eventually purchased by Brock University, where it was turned into the Brock Research and Innovation Centre, which is now home to many great groups and organizations that work to make others' lives better.

There are websites on the internet that deal with my local landscape. The websites show what my landscape is called and what it looks like, along with some basic information about what type of stuff goes on there and at what flow do they do it. The very first building to appear on my landscape is the same building that is there today, just with an extension added on compared to the original, and the use of the building is different as well. Behind the building are the Niagara Escarpment and all of its beautiful views. Little do people know but a big part of the forest land between Brock University and the Innovation Centre was meant to be taken out by Brock and replaced with urban development (student homes) so they could hold more students in residence which meant more money for them. There had been disputes over the land for years and years between Brock and the Niagara Escarpment Commission over what should happen to the land, but ultimately the city of Niagara ruled in favor that the land should stay as natural area and not urban area. The Brock Research and Innovation Centre is under jurisdictional authority by Brock University and the surrounding areas such as the Bruce Trail and Escarpment are maintained by the Bruce trail Conservancy and Niagara Escarpment Commission, respectively.

The Brock Research and Innovation Centre is owned by Brock University and the Niagara Escarpment is maintained and looked after by the Niagara Escarpment Commission, which is an agency of the Ontario Government. Public access is permitted to either of the spots as they are open to the general public.

Land ownership does have an impact on what the site looks like today because since they own the property, they have full authority to add or take away whatever land they feel is necessary. If the University wanted to build an extension onto the building like they did in 1999, they could go through with it since they own the building. Same goes with the Escarpment. If the NEC wanted to propose a change and the city of St. Catherine's approved the move, then they could alter the landscape however they pleased.

The landscape does in fact fall into a zoning plan. The zoning plan was passed in 2013 by the city of St. Catherine's, and now meant that the NEC had a certain portion of land that they were able to control, and Brock University now had a boundary line on its property. Lawyers and city officials had to be brought into the dilemma because of how serious each side was about getting their desired land. Over eight years later since that zoning by-law was put into place, the Escarpment and Centre both seem to be holding up fine. Brock lost out on millions of dollars on revenue from what could have been housing, and the NEC was able to preserve the Escarpment the way they wanted to.

Many different groups and organizations operate out of this building, each with a different purpose. One organization that operates out of this building is Brock-Niagara Centre for Health and Well-Being. Their purpose is to promote health and rehabilitate those who need it most, such as cardiac patients, amputees, spinal cord injuries, and multiple sclerosis. An organization like this is very good for the community because it is a place where people can go to reflect upon themselves and allows them to enter a zone where it is nothing but peace and tranquility. Another organization that occupies the building is the Tecumseh Centre for Aboriginal Research and Education. The Centre was added in 2004 after a group of Aboriginal students pushed Brock to create the Centre so they could connect to their roots on a more personal level and what better place to learn about your people than in a Centre purposely made for them. The goal of the organization is bring awareness to Aboriginal people and way of life by reading and discussing Aboriginal topics. The Centre is a place of convergence towards all. One final group that occupies this building is the Niagara Amputee Association, or the NAA. The NAA helps amputees with the costs of artificial limbs to those who cannot afford them, and cover costs of any accessories they may need when wearing the limb. This type of organization is amazing because they are essentially giving people who may think they have nothing left to show a completely new life. All three of the groups that I have previously mentioned all do something to give back to the community no matter how big or small.

A big connection that my landscape has with the surrounding area is the Niagara Escarpment. The escarpment would have to be the biggest connection to the property since it is so close to the Centre. The escarpment land boundary and the Brock University land boundary has been in cahoots for years and parties from both sides have had to step in and handle the situation properly. Another connection to the building is the Bruce Trail. The Trail is a trail that extends hundreds of kilometres on either side or part of it runs through the University and Escarpment. The trail was built to provide people with access to routes that made it faster to get places. This trail influenced the landscape because more and more people were now using the trail and getting out into the nature, which is what they had hoped for in the first place when creating the trail. All in all, the Brock Research and Innovation Centre is surrounded by wildlife, with the escarpment behind it, trees covering the sides of it, and the Twelve Mile Creek just a few hundred metres away, the building is surrounded by nature, and that is why it was such a beautiful sight to see.

Brock Niagara Centre for Health and Well-Being

130 Lockhart Drive, St. Catherine's, ON

905-688-5550 x5585

healthyniagara@brocku.ca

Niagara Amputee Association

130 Lockhart Drive, St. Catherine's, ON

(905) 581-5863

NiagaraAmputeeAssociation@gmail.com

Tecumseh Centre for Aboriginal Research

130 Lockhart Drive, St. Catherine's, ON

905 688 5550 x3099

Niagara Escarpment Commission

Georgetown Office

232 Guelph Street, Georgetown, ON

L7G 4B1

905 877 5191

necgeorgetown@ontario.ca

University, B. (n.d.). Interactive campus map return to brocku.ca. Interactive Campus Map. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://brocku.ca/blogs/campus-map/.

City of st. catharines condemns niagara escarpment commission. op. (2021, June 19). Retrieved November 5, 2021, from https://www.mediacoop.ca/story/city-st-catharines-....

City of st. catharines council report - document center. stcatherines.civicweb.net. (2017, April 5). Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://stcatharines.civicweb.net/document/47588.

NEC. Niagara Escarpment Commission. (2021, June 29). Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://escarpment.org/.

The Niagara Escarpment. The Bruce Trail Conservancy. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2021, from https://brucetrail.org/pages/about-us/the-niagara-....

Niagara Escarpment. The Bruce Trail Conservancy. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2021, from https://brucetrail.org/pages/resources/niagara-esc....

Bacher, J. (2017, July 22). Brock University uses possibly flawed study to defend planned assault on Forest. op. Retrieved November 5, 2021, from https://www.mediacoop.ca/story/brock-university-us....

Greenbelt Foundation. (n.d.). Twelve mile creek. Greenbelt Foundation. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.greenbelt.ca/twelve_mile_creek.

Healthy Twelve Mile Creek. (n.d.). Twelve mile creek. HTMC. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.healthytwelvemilecreek.ca/twelve-mile-....

News. The Bruce Trail Conservancy. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://brucetrail.org/news/721-bruce-trail-conser....

City of St. Catherines. (2014). History of the city. St. Catharines. Retrieved November 5, 2021, from https://www.stcatharines.ca/en/governin/HistoryOfT....

NAA. (2018). Home: Niagara Amputee Association ( NAA ). Niagara Amputee Assn. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://naa939.wixsite.com/website.

Faculty of Education. (n.d.). Tecumseh Centre for Aboriginal Research and Education. Brock University. Retrieved November 7, 2021, from https://brocku.ca/education/faculty-and-research/t....

Photos Cited:

The Twelve Mile Creek near Glenridge Ave. (n.d.). brocku.ca. photograph. Retrieved November 7, 2021, from https://brocku.ca/brock-news/2016/05/opg-warning-a....

Titone, J. (n.d.). St. Catherines. pinterest.ca. photograph. Retrieved November 7, 2021, from https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/332703491191528837/.

Niagara Topographic Map Images, 1:25k Series [1973]. (2014) St. Catharines, ON: Brock University Maps, Data & GIS. Available ftp://ftp.library.brocku.ca/TopographicMaps/NTS1970s/30L_14g_1973.zip Accessed (15/04/2017).

Brock University. (n.d.). youtube.com. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from

(Screenshots taken from video and made into a picture slideshow).

This Local Landscape Report was prepared by Luke Di Gregorio for the Brock University course TMGT 2P94: Human Dominated Ecosystems on November 7, 2021.

All copyrights for cited material rest with the original copyright owners.