Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) has announced it has created a new private nature reserve by protecting 751 acres of forested property in Peterborough County.
The MapleCross John Wolfe Forest Preserve is located around 10 kilometres north of Norwood, adjacent to a 4,800-acre block of the Peterborough County Forest and within the Crowe River subwatershed.
This reserve is KLT’s third-largest property, after its Hammer Family Nature Preserve (established in 2023) and Big (Boyd/Chiminis) Island (established in 2015).
KLT executive director John Kintare shared his hope for the newly protected property with kawarthaNOW.
“My hope for this incredible property is that it remains as a place where a wide variety of plant and animals thrive in diverse habitats, that it continues to serve as essential carbon sink on our landscape, that it keeps providing clean air, soil and water to our region, and that it serves as an inspiration to our community of what they can achieve for nature in the Kawarthas,” he said.
According to a media release from KLT, the property was owned by the Wolfe family who “dutifully cared for their land for decades.”
When John Wolfe passed away, the executors of his estate listed the property for sale. After receiving and turning down offers from industrial developers who intended to clear the forested land, they reached out to Kintare a year ago.
“They realized that they would prefer to see the property remain in its natural state, but they needed a commitment from KLT quickly,” said Kintare, noting the Wolfe family lowered the asking price by $300,000.
KLT’s purchase of the property was funded by partial donation and by support from donors and funders, including the MapleCross Fund (established in 2017 by Dr. Jan Oudenes and Dr. Isobel Ralston to protect and restore Canada’s natural environment by supporting organizations engaged in land conservation), the Echo Foundation, and the Natural Heritage Conservation Program — Land Trusts Conservation Fund Grant Programs.
“Through collaboration and the collective effort of the Wolfe Family, amazing donors, funders, and volunteers, we were able to protect nature in Peterborough County,” said Kintare.
All of the property within the MapleCross John Wolfe Forest Preserve is considered deep habitat or interior forest.
According to KLT, in a time of increased fragmentation of forest ecosystems in southern Ontario, the protection of interior forest habitat is essential for species that require large and unbroken tracts of natural land to survive and thrive, including black bears, moose, white-tailed deer, and fishers, among many others.
“Walking beneath the vast canopy of trees, I couldn’t help but feel the immensity and richness of this land,” shared Sam Clapperton, KLT’s land research coordinator, in a statement.
“Quiet moments in the early dawn revealed shy forest birds, while the sound of the creek made me pause to listen. The air feels full of life, and the preserve is just that — alive with flourishing wetlands that are home to beavers and waterfowl, forests of oaks and maple, and small clearings where pollinators hover above native wildflowers. Every step further into this sprawling forest reminds me that this place is more than just land — it’s a sanctuary and a piece in the larger puzzle of natural habitat on the landscape where nature can thrive.”
The reserve is comprised of several forest types, the largest being a 280-acre mixed hardwood forest that consists primarily of sugar maple, red oak, and ironwood. The nature preserve also features a red oak forest, cedar forest, and a stand of planted red pines. It is also home to a significant creek that flows into a wetland before continuing south to Beloporine Creek in Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township.
The property is surrounded on three sides by a block of the Peterborough County Forest. By protecting the property, KLT is ensuring this contiguous forested land is not fragmented.
“As we approach KLT’s 25th anniversary, I’m continually reminded that this organization began when several people came together with an idea and a goal to protect and care for nature in the Kawarthas,” Kintare said. “Over two decades later, the original spirit and intent carries on.”
Founded in 2001, KLT is a charitable land conservation organization that now protects 44 properties that include 8,100 acres of ecologically diverse lands, some of which are open to the public to hike or enjoy nature. As a private nature reserve, the MapleCross John Wolfe Forest Preserve is not open to the public.
