A new deal is going to help protect 5,400 acres along the eastern coast of Georgian Bay.
The Georgian Bay Land Trust and the Canada Nature Fund have signed a conservation easement agreement called the Tadenac Conservation Initiative. The agreement is aimed at preserving a “regional biodiversity hotspot” and helps with Canada’s target of protecting 17 per cent of lands and inland waters by next year.
“This project enshrines the largest private landholding on the eastern Georgian Bay coast as a permanent sanctuary for nature,” said Bill Lougheed, Executive Director of the Georgian Bay Land Trust. “It protects the aquatic and terrestrial habitats of one of the most diverse and ecologically intact places on the coast.”
The Nature Fund contributed the core funding of $967,000 with more money coming from the Echo Foundation and McLean Foundation. The Nature Conservancy of Canada did extensive initial field work that supported the Georgian Bay Land Trust’s work on the project.
Recognized by UNESCO, the eastern Georgian Bay area supports the largest diversity of reptile and amphibian species in Canada.
The Tadenac Conservation Initiative will protect the habitat for at least 32 at-risk species including the Blanding’s Turtle, Algonquin Wolf, and bald eagle, and 15 provincially rare plant species. It also includes nesting habitat for waterfowl and critical fish spawning and nursery areas used by endangered Lake Sturgeon.
The protected area also plays an essential role in establishing a protected habitat corridor along the Georgian Bay coast. Such intact corridors are of utmost importance for the survival of large mammals and migratory birds and allow for greater ecological resiliency to climate change. The property’s forests and wetlands also provide valuable ecosystem services including water purification, carbon sequestration, and flood and erosion prevention.
The land and lakebed included in the Tadenac Conservation Initiative will be protected by Conservation Easement and remain privately owned, with regular ecological monitoring to be undertaken by the Georgian Bay Land Trust. The initiative’s primary purpose is to provide a sanctuary for biodiversity that will also provide opportunities for conservation-focused research. To this end, the landowners have established a foundation with a $1 million endowment to support ongoing scientific research in this remarkable area.