Couchiching Conservancy adds 55th protected property
SEPTEMBER 20, 2023, ORILLIA, ONTARIO –
The Couchiching Conservancy is overjoyed to announce the protection of the Deverell-Morton Nature Reserve. This 169-hectare (417-acre) parcel is in Carden Township, 35km east of Orillia.
The property has been in the Deverell family since the mid 1800’s. The family were settlers in the area, and had a sawmill, sugarbush and gravel pit. As farmers, they had pasture lands and a deep connection to the land. The first parcel of land the family bought was two dollars an acre. Today, the family and descendants have enjoyed exploring the landscape – finding fossils and salamanders.
“To protect the land, that’s in our nature,” shared a member of the Deverell-Morton family. “We always wanted the property to go to The Couchiching Conservancy and it was the right time to make that happen.”
“Our family members who have passed, my husband, my father, my grandfather, would all be happy to know we have done this. The land is a part of our family’s legacy.”
The Deverell-Morton property falls within the Carden Alvar Area of Natural and Scientific Interest and fills in a significant piece of the broader Carden corridor. This area connects to the Black River Wildlands Corridor to the north. It is directly adjacent to Wolf Run Alvar Nature Reserve and North Bear Nature Reserve. The property provides ecosystem goods and services to the community, including carbon storage, the removal of air pollution and flood water storage. By storing carbon and buffering local communities from the impacts of increasingly severe weather events, the property is an excellent example of the nature-based solutions needed to help combat climate change.
There are many species relying on this landscape, including Redheaded Woodpecker (endangered), Golden-winged Warbler (threatened), Eastern Ribbonsnake (special concern), and Eastern Whip-poor-will (threatened).
This project was made possible by the Government of Canada through the Natural Heritage Conservation Program, part of Canada’s Nature Fund and the Government of Ontario through the Greenlands Conservation Partnership Program.The Conservancy is grateful for numerous supporters through our Corridors Campaign, a multi-year campaign to proactively raise money to secure environmentally significant landscapes in our region for future generations.
A portion of this project was donated to the Couchiching Conservancy under the Government of Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program. This program provides enhanced tax incentives for individuals or corporations who donate ecologically significant land.
QUOTES:
“Through the Natural Heritage Conservation Program and the Ecological Gifts Program, the Government of Canada is making progress toward its goal of conserving a quarter of land and water in Canada by 2025, working toward 30 percent of each by 2030. By working with partners such as the Couchiching Conservancy, and thanks to generous landowners like the Deverell Morton family, we are helping to protect the natural environment in Ontario and across the country. Protecting land plays a vital role in helping to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, and contributes to the recovery of species at risk and the storage of carbon. Only by engaging in a whole-of-society approach, and working together, can we meet our conservation goals.”
– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
“Conserving ecologically important natural areas like the Deverell-Morton property is a reminder of the importance of working together to support a healthy environment and preserve Ontario’s biodiversity,” said David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “I want to thank the Deverell family for their incredible generosity and also recognize the tremendous work of the Couchiching Conservancy and Ontario Land Trust Alliance to conserve more greenspaces here in Ontario, leaving a legacy for the benefit of future generations.”
“Together with our partners in Conservation, we are now within reach of achieving an ambitious goal: A continuous corridor of nature reserves reaching 16 kilometres from Canal Lake in the south to Q.E. II Wildlands Provincial Park in the north,” said Dorthea Hangaard, Executive Director. “This is a substantial legacy for our region.”
“We have a powerful tool to fight against the threats of climate change and biodiversity loss — nature,” said Kathy Hunt, President of the Board. “This is where the Couchiching Conservancy comes in. By protecting natural habitats, we are supporting a nature-based solution to help mitigate the destructive effects of the climate crisis.”
FACTS:
• The property includes a willow thicket swamp which connects Deverells Creek to the Head River and Lake Dalrymple;
• With partners like Nature Conservancy of Canada and Ontario Parks, over 10,000-acres of land is now protected in the Carden Alvar;
• Connecting properties like this are important for large mammals like Moose, which have a 50 square mile home range.
ABOUT:
The Government of Canada’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program (NHCP) is a unique partnership that supports the creation and recognition of protected and conserved areas through the acquisition of private land and private interest in land. To date, the Government of Canada has invested more than $440 million in the Program, which has been matched with more than $870 million in contributions raised by Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the country’s land trust community leading to the protection and conservation of more than 700,000 hectares of ecologically sensitive lands.
To learn more about the Ecological Gifts Program, please visit http://www.ec.gc.ca/pde-egp/.
Ontario’s Greenlands Conservation Partnership Program helps conserve ecologically important natural areas and protect wetlands, grasslands and forests that help mitigate the effects of climate change. Through the Greenlands Conservation Partnership, a total of $38 million has been invested to date by the Ontario Government. Additional match funds are raised from other sources, such as individual donations and foundation support through the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Ontario Land Trust Alliance, and other levels of government.
The Couchiching Conservancy is a non-profit, non-government land trust powered by a community of people, businesses and foundations dedicated to protecting nature for future generations. You can take action for nature by becoming a member, volunteering or donating to power local efforts to safeguard wilderness in our region. To learn more, please visit couchichingconserv.ca.
LEARN MORE:
Visit: couchichingconserv.ca
Become a fan on Facebook or Instagram: @couchichingconservancy
CONTACT:
Tanya Clark
Fundraising & Engagement Manager
[email protected]
705-326-1620