For over twenty years, Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) has been protecting the natural and working lands of the Kawarthas for future generations. As your regional, charitable land trust, we’re dedicated to conserving what makes our region so special — its natural beauty. We could not have achieved the conservation successes that we have without the support of our community of volunteers.
In 2001, Kawartha Land Trust, then known as Kawartha Heritage Conservancy, was founded by a small group of volunteers who were passionate about protecting nature in the Kawarthas. From those early days to the present day, volunteer contributions have informed every aspect of our work.
At KLT, we often refer to volunteering as “giving the gift of time.” Last year, volunteers gave over 4,200 hours of their time to KLT to help forward conservation in the Kawarthas.
“Like many charities, Kawartha Land Trust would not be able to achieve our goals without the dedication of our volunteers,” said Chris Ferguson, KLT’s Volunteer Programs Specialist.
“Volunteer involvement builds KLT’s capacity — providing a variety of skills, experience, and diversity of perspectives that only strengthen the organization and what we can achieve together.”
From trustees and board directors ensuring excellent governance and strategic oversight, to our operational volunteers serving as community outreach ambassadors, planting trees, removing invasive plant species, creating maps, curating and supporting events, writing, and much more, KLT’s volunteers contribute to every area of our work.
Some of our volunteers, like Jenny Fay, choose to give their time in a variety of ways. In the past year, Jenny has conducted ecological inventories on land we hope to protect, conducted species surveys, given out seedlings at our Passport to Nature “Trees for All” event, helped maintain our walking trails, and more.
“Caring for the land has always been one of my passions, which is why I spent my career working in Ontario’s provincial park system,” said Jenny. “After 30 years, I was ready to stop working every day, but still wanted to nurture that passion. Volunteering with Kawartha Land Trust lets me do that. I have the opportunity to explore various natural landscapes, meet interesting people, and contribute to projects that will help KLT protect its properties for future generations.”
We offer our thanks to Jenny and all of Kawartha Land Trust’s volunteers past and present, for protecting the land you love. If you would like to learn more about Kawartha Land Trust and volunteer opportunities, visit kawarthalandtrust.org/volunteer.
Main photo: KLT volunteer Jenny Fay (L) and KLT Donor Relations Coordinator, Oriona Rendon, (R) handing out tree seedlings at KLT’s Passport to Nature Trees for All event in 2023. (KLT)
This article was originally published in Kawartha Cottage Magazine.
