With funding from donors and the federal and provincial governments, Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) has completed the purchase of a 435-acre property in Peterborough County where the land conservation charity has created a protected nature reserve and has plans to offer community hiking trails in the future.
The Kawartha Highlands South nature reserve is an ecologically significant property located in the Municipality of Trent Lakes and is adjacent to the provincially owned Kawartha Highlands Signature Site, a popular destination for locals and visitors to the region.
On Friday morning (November 7), KLT hosted an announcement at Kawartha Highlands South to acknowledge the donors and funding agencies that made the nature reserve possible and to share information about future community hiking trails.
Earlier this year, KLT embarked on a fundraising campaign to raise $1.6 million to protect the property, with $1.5 million going towards the land purchase and an additional $100,000 going towards project-related costs and KLT’s stewardship fund to ensure the property will be cared for in perpetuity.
In addition to government and agency funding, over the summer KLT received donations from more than 450 individuals and families after an anonymous donor stepped up to match all donations of up to $100,000.
According to KLT communications manager Dani Couture, the success of the fundraising campaign showed how important protecting Kawartha Highlands South was to the community.
“Our donors, volunteers, and supporters passionately support ambitious conservation projects like this one time and time again, making immediate and lasting differences for nature,” Couture told kawarthaNOW.
Along with community donations, KLT received $260,000 from the Natural Heritage Conservation Program’s Land Trusts Conservation Fund, $150,000 from the Echo Foundation, $129,000 from the Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks’s Greenlands Conservation Partnership program, and $120,000 in funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund.
The organization also received support from the Ontario Land Trust Alliance, the Ontario Conservation Accelerator, and Wild Rock Outfitter’s ComPassion Project.
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 then to August 31 to allow KLT additional time to raise the necessary funds to purchase the property.
“When KLT saw this ecologically significant property go up for sale, we knew we had to act,” said KLT executive director John Kintare in a media release. “The sheer volume of support from our community, funders, and donors was inspiring. Together, we were able to protect nature for future generations and create hiking trails for the community to enjoy. We’re really looking forward to welcoming residents and visitors to KLT’s Kawartha Highlands South nature reserve.”
According to KLT, more than 100 species of birds and larger mammals like black bears, moose, and fishers have been observed on the Kawartha Highlands South nature reserve, including at least 12 species at risk.
Almost 70 acres of the property is comprised of wetlands, which provide denning, nesting, and foraging habitat for numerous species, including river otters, turtles, wading birds, waterfowl, and others.
With the property bordered on three sides by Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park, a popular destination in Ontario for nature enthusiasts, hikers, and paddlers, KLT is aiming to create three to five kilometres of public access hiking trails in Kawartha Highlands South, with the potential to connect the trails to existing ones in the park
Before creating the trails, KLT plans to observe the property for a full year — including during all four seasons — to make decisions that strike a balance between ecological needs and recreational needs. The charity expects to have the trails established and open to the public by the fall of 2027.
Since being founded in 2001 by a group of passionate conservation-minded citizens, KLT has protected 47 properties across the Kawarthas comprising more than 8,700 acres of diverse types of land, and assists in the management of one additional property. On its nature reserves that are open to the public during all four seasons, KLT currently maintains more than 50 kilometres of trails and hosts free events in nature throughout the year as part of its “Passport to Nature” program.
