New 30-acre property will help group protect species at risk

The Couchiching Conservancy is celebrating another conservation success, with the protection of the Whitney property, a 12-hectare (30-acre) parcel, 10 kilometres east of Orillia.

The property was previously owned by Norman and Irene Whitney and creates a direct connection to the McIsaac Wetland, originally protected in 1998 by The Couchiching Conservancy.

This wetland complex in Ramara Township is a part of the Mud Lake provincially significant wetland. Wetlands act as critical filtration systems for our communities and help with flooding.

The property is home to several species at risk listed under Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA) including Little Brown Myotis (endangered), Monarch Butterfly (endangered), Midland Painted Turtle (special concern), Wood Thrush (threatened) and others.

This project was undertaken with the financial support by the Government of Canada through the Natural Heritage Conservation Program, part of Canada’s Nature Fund.

It was also supported by the Echo Foundation, Gosling Foundation, Consecon Foundation and many supporters in this community and beyond.

A portion of this project was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Whitney to the The Couchiching Conservancy with support from the Government of Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program. This program provides enhanced tax incentives for individuals or corporations who donate ecologically significant land.

Creating connections like this makes all the difference to species who call this region home. Roadways, habitat destruction and fragmentation disrupt the natural processes and their chances of survival.

In Ontario alone, there are over 200 species of plants and animals at risk of disappearing according to the provincial Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Protecting and maintaining natural wildlife corridors is a key goal of the Conservancy, in order to create protected corridors for wildlife migration.

“The conservation of the Whitney property, with support from the Canada Nature Fund’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program and the Ecological Gifts Program, will protect nature in Ontario for generations to come," said the honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

"By working with partners like the Couchiching Conservancy and generous landowners like the Whitneys, we are making progress toward conserving a quarter of Canada’s land by 2025.”

ABOUT NHCP:

The Government of Canada’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program (NHCP) is a unique public-private partnership to support new protected and conserved areas by securing private lands and private interests in lands. The program is managed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). Federal funds invested in the program are matched with contributions raised by NCC and its partners, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the country’s land trust community. 

To learn more about the Ecological Gifts Program, please visit http://www.ec.gc.ca/pde-egp/.

ABOUT THE COUCHICHING CONSERVANCY:

The Couchiching Conservancy is one of the leading regional land trusts in Ontario. A non-government, charitable organization, it has helped protect over 13,000 acres of important natural habitat in the Lake Couchiching region since 1993. Wherever possible, the lands are accessible to the public for the responsible enjoyment of nature.
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