A group called the Friends of Little Lakes Road is fighting to save over 68 acres of land in what is known as the Little Lakes area from becoming an open, industrial gravel pit.
The parcel of land is on the eastern edge of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh.
Little Lakes resident and spokesperson for the group, Rebecca Garrett, says a completed application to have the zoning change has not yet come to ACW council but she says their group is expecting that to happen any time now.
Garrett says the land is prime agricultural land and has also been declared a cultural heritage landscape that includes Balls Bridge and is home to a wide variety of wild life.
“And the area that the application has been made for is in the loop of the river, so the river loops around and right in the middle of that is the area, but the wildlife corridor follows the loop, so the wildlife are always going back and forth across the field, so they won't be able to do that anymore,” stated Garrett.
There are also concerns about risk to the watershed because of possible digging below the water line.
Garret says the area is also popular with tourists and recreational activity would no longer be possible with an industrial extraction pit operating because of the noise and dust.
More information about the project can be found at littlelakesroad.org.