The community will notice some upgrades at Devonwood Conservation Area.
Caesars Windsor Cares donated $20,000 towards the work.
The upgrades include significant enhancements to the entrance of the conservation area.
There is a new entry sign with solar lighting, additional parking lot lighting, the installation of interpretive signs along with updated garbage facilities and benches.
Kieran McKenzie is past chair of the Essex Region Conservation Authority and says Caesars Windsor has been supporting the Devonwood Conservation Area for a number of years.
"Today's announcement is $20,000 that's going to go towards some infrastructure and some signage that will support the park, make the park a little safer and as well brand the park and make sure people understand that this space is here for public utilization 365 days a year," says McKenzie.
He says the conservation area is a really important space in the city.
"It's a place for people who live in a significantly urbanized, built up environment to have a place where they can connect with nature and a place where they can literally walk out their front door and in a matter of minutes, be in the middle of a completed forested area, nature environment, safe well built trails that can get them from one place to another," says McKenzie.
McKenzie says there are ongoing concerns with individuals coming to the conservation area to do things that are not the most productive.
"There's been a number of things that have happened to address those concerns," says McKenzie. "The lighting has been a significant improvement. We thinned out some of the trees that are in the front of the property, so to create a greater visual window from the roadside into the parking lot."
In 2018, Caesars Windsor invested $70,000 to resurface the trails at the conservation area.
Casino workers also clean-up the conservation area annually.
Devonwood Conservation Area is located on Division Road just north of Cabana Road.
Such a big thank you to @CaesarsWindsor for its continued investment in and commitment to #Devonwood Conservation Area. This most recent gift makes this urban oasis safer, more welcoming & more accessible for thousands who visit every year. https://t.co/mbaYpVupk1 pic.twitter.com/AvL46hMhKJ
— EssexRegionConserve (@essexregionca) June 12, 2024
