Thanks to the long-term thinking and vision of Mark Maitman and Dale Sutton, 56 acres of natural lands in Pigeon Lake subwatershed in the City of Kawartha Lakes is protected for future generations through a Conservation Easement Agreement.

According to the Ontario Land Trust Alliance’s Conservation Easement Guide, “Conservation Easement Agreements are enforceable legal contracts and interests in land that are registered on the title to the property at the local Land Registry Office.”

“CEAs limit what the current owner and all future owners may do on the property. Their purpose is to protect wildlife, habitats, shoreline, water quality and quantity, or other natural, agricultural, and other cultural features forever.”

The property’s deciduous forest, mixed swamp, and meadow will continue to contribute to natural climate solutions in the region and support native wildlife and plant species like Sugar Maple, Brown Thrasher, Common Milkweed, at-risk Monarch Butterfly and many others.

Almost 90% of this protected property comprises a section of a wildlife corridor. In a time of increasingly fragmented natural lands in Southern Ontario, wildlife corridors such as the one that the Maitman-Sutton CEA are part of are vital in allowing wildlife to safely travel from one habitat to another.

Additionally, a section of the Lifford Complex Provincially Significant Wetland (PSW) extends into the property. This wetland plays an important role in maintaining the quality of water that runs through it.

Read our interview with Mark Maitman and Dale Sutton.

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The permanent protection of the Maitman-Sutton CEA was generously supported by funding received from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund.

The ECCC-administered Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund (NSCSF) is a $1.4 billion, ten-year fund to reduce annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 5-7 megatonnes (Mt) by 2030. The NSCSF will achieve this by supporting projects that reduce the loss, restore, or improve the management of ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, peatlands and grasslands. These projects will also benefit important habitat for migratory birds, species at risk and other species of cultural and/or socio-economic importance to local communities.

A portion of this conservation 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.