Land trust protecting two new properties
Parcels home to rich ecosystems, teem with wildlife
Kawartha Land Trust is now protecting two new properties: a 73acre area nestled in the heart of Douro-Dummer Township and 39 acres of land near Balsam Lake — both home to rich ecosystems and teeming with wildlife.
The group purchased a Forbes Lane property in Douro-Dummer thanks to donor support and funding through Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund.
A significant chunk of the Forbes Lane Property is considered interior forest. Birds such as the Wood Thrush, along with other Ontario species of special concern, depend on the habitat. The property also features a conifer swamp — part of the Dummer Lake South provincially significant wetland (PSW) complex that contributes to the overall health of the region’s waters.
In Kawartha Lakes, the DeNure conservation easement agreement (CEA) — formed between KLT and Steven and Ali DeNure — will see nearly 40 acres of natural land along the shores of Balsam Lake in the northwest end of the City of Kawartha Lakes protected. The easement was backed by funding from the provincial government’s Greenlands Conservation Partnership. The bulk of the property is part of the Corben Creek provincially significant wetland. The land boasts a mixed swamp that is home to balsam fir, eastern white cedar and aspen, along with black ash, which is an endangered species in Ontario.
Founded in 2001, Kawartha Land Trust is a registered environmental charity that protects and preserves natural land throughout Peterborough and the Kawarthas. The group turns donated land into nature reserves that conserve wildlife and vulnerable ecosystems.
The organization protects more than 5,350 acres of ecologically diverse lands across 33 properties, some of which feature public hiking trails. It works with volunteers, donors, community partners and local First Nations communities to fulfil its mandate of environmental stewardship.
Environment, Conservation and Parks Minister David Piccini, the MPP for Northumberland-Peterborough South, applauded the Kawartha Land Trust, the Ontario Land Trust Alliance and the DeNures for protecting the natural habitat of “endangered hardwood and other precious swamp life.”
“We’ve seen that investing in the protection of natural areas, like the provincially significant wetlands at Balsam Lake, can play an important role in conserving Ontario’s natural diversity, while mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change,” Piccini stated. “Through the Greenlands Conservation Partnership, we will continue to work with partners to protect and promote more healthy, natural spaces.”
Steven DeNure, a trustee with Kawartha Land Trust, said he was motivated to conserve the Balsam Lake area property in the wake of increased development on the lake, pushing him to make an effort to
Environment, Conservation and Parks Minister David Piccini, the MPP for Northumberland Peter borough South, applauded the Kawartha Land Trust, the Ontario Land Trust Alliance and the DeNures for protecting the natural habitat of ‘endangered hardwood and other precious swamp life’
preserve the wetlands and creek entrance. The group’s executive director, John Kintare, said the organization, with the support of its volunteers and donors, has worked to protect important ecosystems in the Kawarthas for more than two decades. “While there is much more work to be done to ensure the protection of the region’s natural and working lands for the benefit of current and future generations, I’m glad to be able to share this great conservation news with the community,” Kintare said.
The ECCC’s Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund, which helped fund the purchase of the Forbes Lane property in Douro-Dummer, is a $631-million, 10-year fund designed to support projects that rejuvenate and enhance wetlands, grasslands and peatlands that retain carbon.
The fund aims to employ naturebased solutions to conserve, manage and restore ecosystems while helping to curb the impacts of climate change, improve water quality and sustain critical habitats for wildlife.