The Wittek Property is a two-acre property located in Selwyn Township that was generously donated to KLT through the final estate of Eugene Wittek.

While small, the property contains marsh, coniferous forest, and deciduous forest habitats that support wildlife in the region.

The small wetland contains open water year-round. Due to the unlikelihood that any fish are present based on KLT staff observations, this wetland makes for excellent breeding habitat for amphibians due to an increased survival rate in their larval stage.

The marsh also contains standing dead trees, which, once they fall, will create basking spots for turtles and dragonflies.

The Wittek Property is host to a number of native plant species, including cattails, Red Osier Dogwood, Swamp Milkweed, Highbush Cranberry, Eastern White Cedar, Trembling Aspen, Green Ash, White Birch, White Oak, Black Cherry, and Eastern White Pine.

Understory regeneration in the deciduous forest is high and includes plant species such as Enchanter’s Nightshade, Strawberry, Alternate-Leaved Dogwood, and aster species.

Within the coniferous forest, two super canopy Eastern White Pines were observed. Super canopy trees provide excellent structural diversity to the land and can function as specialized nesting habitat for species like Pileated Woodpecker, Osprey, and Bald Eagle.

Fragmented habitats such as this one, and the protection and stewardship of this land can provide opportunities to restore a network of wildlife habitat and corridors to their original, unfragmented state, or contribute to larger parcels of protected lands.

This property was secured with support from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund (NSCSF).

Canada’s Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund (NSCSF) is a $1.4 billion, ten-year fund (2021–2031) administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada to help conserve, restore, and enhance the management of ecosystems such as wetlands, forests, and grasslands, in order to help tackle the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The NSCSF will focus on three main objectives: (1) conserving carbon-rich ecosystems at high risk of conversion to other uses that would release their stored carbon; (2) improving land management practices to reduce their greenhouse gas emission-causing impacts on Canada’s ecosystems; and (3) restoring degraded ecosystems. Overall, these projects will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and increased carbon sequestration, while also providing benefits for biodiversity and human well-being.