It may be $75,000 shy of its goal, but there’s still time to help Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) raise the funds it needs to protect a 435-acre property north of Buckhorn that the land conservation organization is calling Kawartha Highlands South.
KLT is aiming to raise $1.6 million to purchase the privately owned property, which is bounded on three sides by the southern end of Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park, a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts.
In addition to protecting sensitive ecology, wildlife habitat, and 1.2 kilometres of natural shoreline along the Mississauga River, KLT intends to create a new hiking destination in the Kawarthas for locals and visitors featuring three to five kilometres of new trails — with the potential to connect the trails to existing ones in Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park.
Back in March, KLT learned the property had been listed for public sale by a family that has owned and cared for the land for decades. The owners accepted an offer from KLT with a deadline of May 15, which the owners later extended to July 16 and now to August 31 to allow KLT additional time to raise the necessary funds to purchase the property.
“The sellers have given KLT one final extension to allow us to raise the remaining funds — August 31,” KLT communications manager Dani Couture told kawarthaNOW.
“But there is now an escape clause: if another potential buyer comes forward with a better offer, we have three days to confirm that we have sufficient funds to fulfill our offer.”
If KLT is unable to raised the remaining funds by the deadline, the property will go back on the market.
“This is one of the very best opportunities I’ve seen in my time at at Kawartha Land Trust to create a new recreational asset for the community,” said John Kintare, KLT executive director, in a media release.
“If we’re able to protect this ecological gem, we would create three to five kilometres of community footpaths for current and future generations to enjoy.”
Of the $1.6 million KLT hopes to raise, $1.5 million will go towards the land purchase while an additional $100,000 will fund project-related costs and KLT’s stewardship fund to ensure the property will be cared for in perpetuity.
By July 11, KLT had raised almost $900,000 from donors and funders and is applying for $600,000 in additional funding to support the project. As of July 16, the organization only needs to raise an additional $75,000, and an anonymous donor has stepped forward to match donations up to $100,000.
In the media release, KLT describes the land akin to “a postcard of the Kawarthas” with dense forests and verdant wetlands to iconic rock barrens,” adding it is “a wildlife haven and home to over a dozen species at risk like the Eastern Whip-poor-will.”
“The rock barrens that stretch across much of the property form an intricate network of microhabitats where geology and biology meet,” said KLT land research coordinator Sam Clapperton.
“Lichens and mosses cling to the shallow, dry soils over the ancient granite, elusive reptiles find cover under the loose rocks and juniper shrubs, and ground-nesting birds blend in seamlessly into the landscape.”
For more information and to donate, visit kawarthalandtrust.org/you-can-protect-nature-in-kawartha-highlands-south/.
Since being founded in 2001 by a group of passionate conservation-minded citizens, KLT has protected 44 properties across the Kawarthas comprising more than 8,100 acres.
Seven properties are open to the public and feature more than 50 kilometres of KLT-managed footpaths that thousands of people visit every year to connect with nature.
Kawartha Land Trust is one of dozens of land trusts across Ontario working with the community to protect natural and working lands in their respective regions.
