Corridors Campaign - Couchiching Conservancy

Ready to take action by making a donation?

Concerned about climate change and biodiversity loss? Protecting our local landscapes is one part of the solution to a healthier future.

Your gift supports acquisition efforts to secure more wilderness in the Black River & Carden regions.

THE LAST PIECE OF THE CORRIDORS CAMPAIGN:

Eldridge Nature Reserve

The Eldridge family are creating a legacy by working with The Couchiching Conservancy to protect their family’s acreage on Chisholm Trail.

Features:

- Excellent connectivity with Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park;
- Highly biodiverse area with up to 26 species at risk including Five-lined Skink, Eastern Hog-nosed Snake, Golden-winged Warbler, Nighthawk, and Whip-poor-will;
- Canadian Shield rock barren, wetland, and forest;
- Closing date: January 28, 2025.

Did you know?

The Common Snapping turtle is an aquatic turtle that prefers slow-moving, shallow bodies of water with muddy bottoms, which give them places to hide.

Did you know?

All eight species of turtles in Ontario are Species At Risk

The Corridors Campaign is a multi-year effort to raise $1.7 million to protect wilderness in the Black River and Carden regions. Powered by people like you, we work to secure more wilderness for future generations.

There are several properties currently being negotiated under the Corridors Campaign umbrella. Campaign funding will power us forward on these projects now in play and give us the flexibility to react quickly to opportunities. The fund also gives us the critical ability to attract more support from government sources and foundations – one of the key conditions we set out to create with the Corridors Campaign.

The creation of wildlife corridors has become more urgent in the face of a rapidly changing climate. Corridors reduce fragmentation, which has a big impact on species survival. A UN report that concludes a million species are threatened with extinction, and the fact that many Canadian provinces could become ‘climate refuges’ for animals heading north to escape rising temperatures. We are working towards creating the starting point of the wildest spaces left in Ontario.

This critically important work to combat climate change and biodiversity loss would not be possible without the ongoing support of our many volunteers, donors and other funders. Thank you!

9

nature reserves protected since the Campaign was launched in 2019

2,426

acres protected thanks to Corridors Campaign supporters and funders

4,000

additional acres we are working to protect by 2025, as set out in our Strategic Plan

60

Species At Risk who rely on habitat in our region

Nature Reserves protected thanks to Corridors Campaign supporters:

2019: Whitney Wetland NR (30-acres), Sweetwater Farm NR (181-acres)
2020: Taylor NR (175-acres)
2021: Nicholson NR (100-acres), Marley NR (77-acres), Cedarhurst Alvar NR (1362-acres)

2023: Deverell-Morton NR (417-acres), Mitchell Bruce NR (84-acres), Turnbull Ranch addition (7-acres)
2025: more land protection in the works!

Donate

With increasing development pressure in our area, we have a goal to raise $1.7M to help move forward acquisition and protection efforts. Every donation is important and moves us closer to our land conservation objectives. Your donation will go towards the priority project.

Donations over $1,000 annually are included in our Leader's Circle, which gives you access to events, early registration for popular Passport to Nature events, special recognition in our Annual Report and more.

Donate online here

Adams Nature Reserve. Photo by T. Rowland.
This reserve is within the Black River Wildlands Corridor.

Development Committee

Our committee helps in many ways to further the land trust movement to protect as much wilderness as possible while the opportunities are still there. We are grateful for their commitment to this work.

Doug Varty

Doug was an audit partner with KPMG and spent his 32+ year professional career with the firm in the GTA. Giving back to the community has always been central to Doug’s personal and professional life and over the years he has been involved in many charities and NPO’s. He is currently a Board member (Ontario) of the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Chairs their Leaders in Conservation program. New to the Couchiching area, Doug and his wife Charon have become supporters of the CC and are involved in the Citizen Science program. Doug also chairs of the CC’s Development Committee. He is also an active Board member of the Soldiers Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Community Foundation of Orillia and Area. In his spare time, he does freelance business and financial consulting.

"I am very proud of our natural areas and our vast wilderness. I believe it is our responsibility as Canadians to preserve these natural areas for many reasons including – protecting biodiversity, reducing the impacts of climate change and protecting them for future generations to enjoy.

My wife and I are relative newcomers to the area. We enjoy nature and outdoor activities, and we have quickly come to realize what an amazing area this is with its lakes, rivers and many natural spaces. However, the area is under development pressure and as such it is vitally important that we work together to continue to identify and protect threatened habitat in a strategic manner. The Couchiching Conservancy is a highly regarded land trust, has a great team (staff and volunteers) and very strong community support. We enthusiastically look forward to being part of a team building upon the incredible achievements of the Conservancy to date."

Doug Christie

Doug was a partner in the law firm of Russell Christie LLP. Doug has delivered a number of papers and lectures on behalf of the Canadian Bar Association and the Law Society of Upper Canada with respect to waterfront and recreational property. Doug was the President and former member of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers. He is an elder in the Orillia Presbyterian Church; volunteers with Couchiching Jubilee House and the Couchiching Conservancy. For many years Doug was involved in coaching minor hockey and soccer. Doug has been an active member of the Orillia YMCA and served on the Board of Directors for 13 years. He has chaired annual campaigns and was the Chair of the Capital Campaign for the expansion at Skid Watson YMCA. Doug and his wife Barb have lived in Orillia since 1973. They have 3 children and 5 grandchildren. Doug was awarded the Order of Orillia in 2011.

"The goal and promise of the Conservancy is to preserve and protect lands with special natural features in the Couchiching region forever. This is a challenge given creeping development, changes in government policy, land abuse and climate change. Through having participated in a number of Passport to Nature events I have become more sensitized to the fact that there is an amazing and important interaction between the environment and all living things. Humans are a part of this interaction but the land is not there simply to suit our needs."

Tanya Clark

Tanya is the Fundraising & Engagement Manager at the Conservancy. She has been a staff member since 2012, and works with the Committee on various fundraising initiatives.

"Getting out and appreciating nature is a part of who I am as a person. Camping, canoeing, hiking are activities that matter to me. Soaking in the beauty of this land, these waters. Nature gives us everything, and we have a responsibility to protect it.

I love working here because of the community. I feel so proud to be doing this work with hundreds of others who are concerned about the future of our forests, wetlands and alvars. When we lose wild places, we lose a piece of ourselves.

It can feel overwhelming to feel like so much is out of your control, and how can I *by myself* make a difference? I can’t protect the places I care about on my own, but I can when I link up with non-profits doing this work."