Sturgeon Bay Forest nature preserve created near Wiarton
The Nature Conservancy of Canada announced two new nature preserves, including one near Wiarton.
To mark Earth Day on Monday, the national land conservation organization revealed that it has protected a 65-hectare (160-acre) parcel of land known as the Sturgeon Bay Forest north of Wiarton on the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula. It has also added a 40-hectare (99-acre) property to existing conservation lands on Cockburn Island in Lake Huron west of Manitoulin Island.
Esme Batten, the NTC'S program director for midwestern Ontario, said she is pleased to have worked alongside individuals, governments and organizations to protect some of the region's most important lands.
“The Saugeen Peninsula is world-renowned for the diversity it supports, and the forests at Sturgeon Bay Forests are no exception, providing habitat for wide-ranging mammals, such as American black bear, and habitat for breeding and migratory birds along the Niagara Escarpment,” Batten said a news release.
“These conservation efforts bolster existing networks of protected lands and help build healthy and resilient ecosystems.”
The Sturgeon Bay Forest property features expansive intact forests and provides habitat for many species and support biodiversity, while also providing important ecosystem services for nearby communities such as cleaning air and filtering water, while storing carbon within tree roots, soil and wetlands, and helping slow the pace of climate change, the release said.
The Cockburn Island property contains alvars, characterized by shallow soils and exposed bedrock, that support several species at risk, including Hill's thistle, the release noted.
Both properties will safeguard important habitat for at-risk bird species, including eastern wood-peewee and wood thrush, as both preserves are located along a major migratory bird route, the release said.
Together with its partners, the NCC has protected almost 86,500 acres (over 35,000 hectares) in the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island Archipelago natural areas.
The projects have been supported by the Canadian government's Nature Smart Climate Solutions fund, the Ontario government's Greenlands Conservation Partnership Program and many private donors across the province.
Ontario Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Andrea Khanjin said the protection of the lands is a win for the region and the province's biodiversity.
“It's crucially important that projects like this continue, and that's why our government is investing $20 million in the Greenlands program over the next four years,” Khanjin said in a news release.
“Together with partners like the Nature Conservancy of Canada, this program will help ensure the long-term health and sustainability of our natural environment.”
Since 1962, the NCC has worked with individuals, communities, businesses and government to conserve and restore more than 37 million acres (15 million hectares) of land across Canada.