June 20th, 2020
For Immediate Release
On Tuesday, June 16, 2020, Grey Sauble Conservation Authority (GSCA) received notification that a youth had fallen from a cliff at Eugenia Falls after travelling out of bounds beyond permitted areas. The individual had passed signage and a barrier wall, that warns visitors not to venture further. Following this event, and notification that others were also disrespecting the signage, GSCA closed the Eugenia Falls Conservation Area to the public until further notice.
On Friday, June 19, 2020, GSCA received another notification that, despite the property closure, a young man had fallen from a cliff at Eugenia Falls. The young man and his friends passed by a roadway barrier, a locked gate, several no entry signs, warning signs, and a barrier wall, in order to access the top of the cliff adjacent to Eugenia Falls. One of the young men lost
his footing and fell down a steep cliff to the slope below.
In 2019, working with partners and stakeholders, GSCA installed approximately 100’ of additional barrier fencing and erected additional signage to dissuade people from accessing the top of the waterfall and the adjacent cliffs. Although GSCA has been advertising the property closure on social media and on its website, the events of this week make it apparent that people are ignoring these efforts.
“We were very concerned when we learned of the accident that occurred at Eugenia Falls this past Tuesday”, said Tim Lanthier, Chief Administrative Officer for the GSCA. “We are already utilizing signage, physical barriers, and OPP patrols to encourage the public to observe safety measures. The incident on Tuesday prompted us to close the property entirely in order to
consider other measures that we could implement. When we received the call on Friday about another incident, we were mortified, saddened and very disappointed that people are still not receiving the message”.
The property will remain closed to the public until further notice and GSCA would like to caution everyone that the OPP have been requested to charge anyone observed trespassing on the property.