Thanks to a great number of donors, and a grant from the ECHO Foundation, in 2020 the Thousand Acre Challenge brought 391 acres of ecologically rich properties into conservation. One property was purchased; two now have conservation easement agreements. All were part of TIWLT’s Leeders Creek Wetland focus area – a key tributary and water filter to Charleston Lake.
For 2021, TIWLT and a number of landowner heroes will again build onto the buffer of nature that surrounds you. And again in 2021, please step up, donate as much as you can and help TIWLT help you conserve the land you love. Here’s some highlights of this year’s conservation projects, nearing 200 acres:
- Once again connected to the Leeders Creek Wetland, a group of three land parcels next to lands under conservation easement agreements in 2020. One of the many small streams that flow down to the wetland begins here, and the damp, shrub land is a primary food source for birds and predators.
- Near the top of Gananoque Lake is the Lost Bay Reserve – a wonderfully wildlife rich area protected by Ontario Nature, which TIWLT contributed to in the past. This year, 120 more acres will be in part donated to TIWLT, and come under conservation easement. The wetland shores, rugged upland and meadows make the Reserve all the more meaningful, and bring more protected space closer to Charleston Lake Provincial Park.
- Just south of the village of Ivy Lea, is a cluster of islands, large and small, that create a channel passageway. Sheltered and with little boat traffic, the channel is one of the most important nurseries for fish, one of them a most endangered minnow in Canada. Four species of turtles feed here and nest on the banks, wildlife comes to drink, birds swoop for insects and five species of frogs rely on the interface of land and water.
- And there are two other properties in discussion, one associated with the Leeders Creek Wetland and the other a wetland feeding into the Lost Bay project area.
2021 is stacking up to be a busy year for TIWLT, and we need your help to get it all done. Donate now to make your contribution to 4Ever.
