Background:

The Cedarhurst Alvar property contains some of the most significant natural habitat in the province. Alvars, naturally open habitats with either a thin covering of soil, or no soil, over a base of limestone or dolostone bedrock, are extremely rare. They exist only in a handful of locations across the globe, including the eastern European Baltic region, the United Kingdom and Ireland. In North America, almost 75 per cent of alvars are in Ontario.

This important local land purchase was made possible thanks to the generosity of many area residents and organizations, especially the Couchiching Conservancy, Jane Bonsteel, Carden Field Naturalists, John and Margaret Catto, The Connor, Clark and Lunn Foundation, Ian Cook and Carol Phillips, The Gosling Foundation, Dr. Nancy Ironside, Jean O’Grady, Dr. Ken Ockenden, Ontario Field Ornithologists, Peterborough Field Naturalists, Pilkington-Henniger Charitable Trust, Judy and Lou Probst, Kawartha Field Naturalists, Linda Read, Joan and John Rosebush, the late John Speakman, Bill and Sue Swinimer Family, Bruce and Heather Whitehouse, Toronto Ornithological Club, Zita and Mark Bernstein Family Foundation, and many private donors. The project was funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program, part of Canada’s Nature Fund, as well as by funding provided by the Ontario government, through the Greenlands Conservation Partnership.

Featured photo by Cameron Curran

Landscape and Species:

• Home to many grassland birds listed under Canada’s Species at Risk Act, including grasshopper sparrow (special concern), bobolink (threatened) and eastern meadowlark (threatened),
• The property adds to an existing network of conservation lands;
• Its addition helps form a conservation corridor between Carden Alvar Provincial Park to the south and NCC – and partner-conserved lands extending north to Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park.