Kawartha Land Trust’s Crescent Trust Property is protected in perpetuity because a group of local cottagers came together to protect the land they love and donate it to KLT.

One hundred percent of the property’s 22 acres is natural cover. The land is home to a mixed forest, wet and dry meadows, and vernal pools that support amphibian habitat.

A 2023 article in Nature cited that the second Global Amphibian Assessment found that amphibians are the most threatened vertebrates on the planet (40.7% of species are globally threatened). Habitat loss and climate change are two of the driving factors affecting the world’s amphibians.

Additionally, 100% of the property is identified as a priority area by the Kawarthas Naturally Connected Preferred Scenario, a collaboratively developed natural heritage system for our region.

The mixed forest on the property is home to Eastern White Cedar, White Spruce, Trembling Aspen, and Marginal Wood Ferns among other species, while the meadows feature Common Juniper, Yarrow, and Wild Strawberry.

We’re grateful to the donors for making a difference on our shared landscape.

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, 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.

A portion of this project was donated to Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) under the Government of Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program.

Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program provides a way for Canadians with ecologically sensitive land to protect nature and leave a legacy for future generations. Made possible by the terms of the Income Tax Act of Canada and the Quebec Taxation Act, it offers significant tax benefits to landowners who donate land or a partial interest in land to a qualified recipient. Recipients ensure that the land’s biodiversity and environmental heritage are conserved in perpetuity.