August 18, 2025, update:
You have made history for nature in the Kawarthas! You and over 450 other donors have protected 435 acres of natural lands adjacent to the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site.
Thank you for coming together as a community to make this extraordinary conservation effort a reality that will be enjoyed by current and future generations.
Because of your support, the KLT Board and I moved forward last week to finalize the process to complete the purchase agreement.
As a community, you protected granite rock barrens and natural shoreline along the Mississagua River. You protected vital wildlife habitat for many of the species that call the Kawarthas home, including those at risk.
As you enjoy these final weeks of August, I hope you can take a special kind of pride in knowing you did something special for nature that will have a lasting impact.
The closing date for the property is set for October 15, 2025, and I look forward to sharing more updates with you at that time.
Until then, thank you for your belief in this conservation project. Your gift enabled KLT to move confidently and boldly ahead, protecting this land for you and the community, forever.
Sincerely,
John Kintare
Executive Director
Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) is a charitable land conservation organization that was founded by volunteers in 2001. Since its founding, KLT has fulfilled its mission to care for the lands entrusted to us and help others protect the land they love in the Kawarthas.
To date, KLT has conserved 44 properties comprising over 8,100 acres of natural and working (agricultural and woodlots) land for future generations. Seven of KLT’s protected lands are open for the community to enjoy and KLT maintains over 50 kilometres of community footpaths on those lands that thousands of people enjoy each year throughout all seasons.
KLT is able to achieve this work through its 200+ active volunteers, donors, land donors, and grants from foundations and the Federal and Provincial governments.
KLT is a charity that is registered with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and a member of the Ontario Land Trust Alliance (OLTA) and the Alliance of Canadian Land Trusts (ACLT). KLT adheres to the Canadian Land Trust Standards and Practices, which are ethical and technical guidelines for land trusts in Canada. In 2025, KLT was named one of the first six land trusts in Canada to receive Certification in Conservation Excellence from the Centre for Land Conservation.
Land Trusts:
Land Trusts are non-profit, charitable organizations that acquire land or interests in land (like conservation easements) for the purpose of conservation, access to nature, and community connection. They protect the local land base and care for these lands or conservation easements for future generations (source: OLTA).
KLT is one of more than 150 local and regional land trusts across Canada made up of 13,000 volunteers, board members, and staff, who have protected 630,000 acres of natural and working lands in Canada (source: ACLT). The first land trust in Canada was founded more than one hundred years ago in 1919.
Links:
In mid-March, KLT learned that a large, mostly natural property, had been listed for public sale by a private citizen looking to sell their property. The 435-acre property is bordered on three sides by Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park and features ecologically significant habitats and met and exceeded KLT’s criteria for protecting a new property for future generations.
The property also presented an opportunity to create a community asset through the creation of 3-5 kilometres of footpaths for community enjoyment if KLT is able to secure the necessary funds to protect the land.
The property features granite barrens, forests, wetlands, and 1.2 kilometres of natural shoreline along the Mississauga River.
KLT reached out to the real estate agent and submitted an offer based on a valuation by a third party appraiser who holds the Accredited Appraiser Canadian Institute (AACI) designation. The offer was accepted with a May 15, 2025, deadline. The deadline was generously extended by the sellers to July 16, 2025, and then, a final extension to August 31st was granted to allow KLT additional time to raise the necessary funds to purchase the private lands.
However, with this final extension, there is a condition: if the sellers receive another offer between now and then KLT will only have three (3) days to confirm we have the necessary funding to purchase the property, or the property and proposed trails will be lost to us forever
The property features a house that KLT would likely endeavour to sever from the rest of the land and sell to recoup some of the property price.
In consideration of the Canadian Land Trust Standards and Practices and with review and guidance from Canada Revenue Agency and review of policies used by leading national and regional land trusts, KLT obtains a third-party appraisal completed by an appraiser holding the AACI designation to determine fair market value of a property that it is seeking to potentially conserve for future generations. The maximum value is to be no more than 5% above the appraised value.
The sellers of the Kawartha Highlands South property, which is private land, accepted KLT’s offer of $1.5 million to purchase the property. KLT would also need $100,000 for additional project costs and the land stewardship fund, which allows KLT to protect its nature reserves in perpetuity for future generations. As such, KLT is working to raise the $1.6 million needed to protect the property and its natural features, which includes habitat for at least 12 species at risk.
No. The property is not Crown Land, nor is it part of Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park.
The private property is owned by a private citizen who put it up for public sale on the real estate market.
As the property is privately owned, it is not currently open to the public. If it is sold to another citizen or business, its future is not certain, nor is public access.
If KLT is successful in purchasing and protecting this property, we are committed to creating public access in the form of community footpaths and preserving the 1.2 km of natural shoreline along the Mississauga River.
Kawartha Land Trust protects 44 properties comprising over 8,100 acres of natural and working (agricultural and woodlots) land for future generations. Seven of the properties that KLT protects are open to the public at no cost for access or parking.
On those public access lands, KLT maintains over 50+ kilometres of footpaths for the community to enjoy. Thousands of people enjoy the footpaths during all seasons.
KLT also hosts free nature-based events for individuals and families on its protected lands for individuals and families to enjoy through its Passport to Nature program.
Community groups throughout the Kawarthas visit and use KLT’s public access properties to spend time in nature.
In addition, KLT has partnerships with Trent University, Fleming College, and early childhood education organizations to allow students to learn on and from the land on many of our protected nature reserves.
Kawartha Highlands South Property:
If protected, Kawartha Land Trust is committed to creating 3-5 kilometres of footpaths for the community to enjoy.
Protection of this property that is for sale would also conserve natural shoreline along 1.2 kilometres of the Mississauga River.
If protected, there is also the potential to connect the footpaths to existing footpaths in Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park.
How does KLT determine use on its nature reserves:
KLT considers a combination of ecological habitat considerations, species at risk, land donor wishes (if applicable for donated lands), and public access suitability (location, etc.) in determining use on its nature reserves.
Kawartha Land Trust is committed to honouring the Williams Treaties and acknowledges that we live and work on a landscape governed by Indigenous rights, treaties, diverse perspectives and settlements. KLT is committed to strengthening our understanding of our treaty obligations and creating ethical space to collaborate with Williams Treaties First Nations in the spirit of reciprocity.
KLT sent engagement letters to Williams Treaties First Nations about this conservation project and has connected with an Indigenous-led land trust regarding possible collaborations.
