Kawartha Land Trust protects wildlife corridors and agricultural land

As the signs of fall reveal themselves across Kawartha Lakes and we enter the season of thanks, Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) has protected two ecologically significant properties in Kawartha Lakes for future generations — KLT’s Stoney Creek Meadow nature reserve and Maitman-Sutton CEA.

Located within the Stoney Creek Watershed, KLT’s Stoney Creek Meadow nature reserve is a wildlife haven. The 91-acre property was generously donated to KLT to ensure its permanent protection by two landowners who wish to remain anonymous.

“The owners loved this land for generations, but realized they could not care for it long into the future,” said John Kintare, executive director in a press release. “We’re extremely grateful for the trust they put in Kawartha Land Trust to help create their conservation legacy and ensure both nature and agriculture in the region continue to thrive.”

Almost half of KLT’s Stoney Creek Meadow makes up vital wildlife corridors, which allow wildlife in the region to travel safely across the land to the habitats they need to survive. In a landscape increasingly fragmented by development, wildlife corridors like the ones found on this nature reserve are more important than ever.

Prior to donation, a section of pasture was used for light cattle grazing. KLT will continue the relationship with a local farmer to allow for both sustainable cattle grazing on a section of the pasture and plan for meadow restoration for grassland birds in another section of the pasture, allowing both active agriculture and active land stewardship activities to co-exist side-by-side.

Thanks to the long-term thinking and vision of Mark Maitman and Dale Sutton, 56 acres of natural lands in the Pigeon Lake subwatershed are protected through a Conservation Easement Agreement (CEA).

The Maitman-Sutton CEA’s forests, mixed swamp and meadow, 90 per cent of which make up a wildlife corridor, will remain on the landscape, contributing to natural climate solutions in the region.

“Every day, we are reminded of the interconnectedness of everything on this Earth and how fragile the health of the land, the water, the air, and all of us who share this planet are,” said Maitman and Sutton. “Perhaps we cannot do much to mitigate climate change at a macro level, but we can affect this small area. We can do something.”

The permanent protection of KLT’s Stoney Creek Meadow and Maitman-Sutton CEA were supported by funding received from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund.

Portions of the Stoney Creek Meadow and Maitman-Sutton CEA conservation projects were donated to Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) through the Government of Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program.