Another 2,090 acres of land has been protected by the Muskoka Conservancy.
The announcement was made during the land trust’s annual general meeting on June 7 at the Raymond Community Centre in Muskoka Lakes. The new properties include:
- 597 acres at Carr’s Lake Hunt Camp in Gravenhurst, donated by Brad Ford, Don Scott, Gerard Newman, David Young, and William Fitchett with financial backing from Maple Cross, The Kenneth M. Molson Foundation, Canada’s Nature Smart Climate Solutions, and Ontario’s Greenlands Conservation Partnership Program. The property includes 95.16 acres of wetland. It’s also the largest property protected by the conservancy.
- 20 acres added to the Wolf Mountain Conservation Easement on Peninsula Lake, donated by Norm Moffat.
- 17 acres on Porter Lake near Bala, which was donated by Eleanor Kee-Wellman.
- An unspecified amount of land added to the South Monck Meadows Nature Reserve just outside of Bracebridge, donated by John and Kerry Fitzmaurice.
The conservancy now protects 6,705 acres across 60 properties in Muskoka.
Bob Weekes has been board chair since Jan. 2021, but the recent meeting marked the end of his term. Peter Love was appointed as board chair while Weekes will continue with the conservancy as past chair.
“We are indebted to those foundations and to all our other financial supporters,” he said. “We are also most grateful to our dedicated team of Board members and a number of committed volunteers who work quietly behind the scenes.”
Peter Love was appointed as Weekes’ successor as board chair.
The meeting also allowed the conservancy to thank its many volunteers.
The Wayland Drew Award was given to Allyn Abbot. According to the conservancy’s website, the award “recognizes individuals who exemplify environmental leadership by promoting stewardship, conservation, environmental education or awareness of Muskoka’s natural heritage.” Its namesake passed away in 1998 and was a strong supporter of environmental activities locally and was given the Lieutenant Governor’s Conservation Award in 1991 for his efforts.
Zachary Caplan from Huntsville and Will Lockhart from Bracebridge were each given a $2,000 bursary, Odin Robinson was the winner of the Little Sprouts Eco Club Photo Contest, and Laurel Turansky was the winner of the Michael Foster Photography Contest.
Scott Young, executive director of the conservancy, says the land trust’s continued success is thanks in large part to the many people who have supported the organization since it was established in 1987.
“Nature conservation benefits people in all the communities we serve, it confers benefits to future generations, and everyone connected to Muskoka Conservancy shares a part of this success,” he shared. “From the youngsters in our Little Sprouts Eco Club right on up to the donors of multimillion dollar properties, we thank you all.”
