Two more of Ontario’s threatened wetlands are under the protection of Kawartha Land Trust

By Janet Hoover 2 years ago
Wetlands play a critical ecological role for plants and wildlife, improve water quality, sequester carbon, and enhance landscape resilience to climate change by helping to control flooding, drought, and erosion. Kawartha Conservation has donated two wetland properties in the Kawarthas, on Nogies Creek and Balsam Lake, to Kawartha Land Trust to ensure they are permanently protected. (Photo courtesy of Kawartha Land Trust)
Wetlands participate in a significant ecological role for crops and wildlife, boost h2o high quality, sequester carbon, and improve landscape resilience to climate alter by aiding to control flooding, drought, and erosion. Kawartha Conservation has donated two wetland houses in the Kawarthas, on Nogies Creek and Balsam Lake, to Kawartha Land Trust to make sure they are forever shielded. (Photograph courtesy of Kawartha Land Have confidence in)

Many thanks to Kawartha Land Rely on and Kawartha Conservation, two far more of Ontario’s threatened wetlands — situated on Nogies Creek and Balsam Lake — have been completely guarded in the Kawarthas region.

Even though some might seem at a wetland and only see a marsh or a swamp with tiny price, wetlands essentially play a important ecological function. They are amid the most biologically varied of all ecosystems, supplying a residence for a vast array of crops and animals, which include species at hazard.

They are also essential for persons. Wetlands filter and purify drinking water, replenish groundwater, and greatly enhance the resilience of the landscape to a lot of of the impacts of local climate improve that threaten the health of our communities, which includes flooding, erosion, and drought. What is extra, they help mitigate weather adjust by storing carbon.

Despite their ecological and economic value, less than 30 per cent of the original wetlands in southern Ontario remain, largely because they have been converted for other uses or have been drained for development and agriculture. (Photo courtesy of Kawartha Land Trust)
Even with their ecological and economic worth, a lot less than 30 for each cent of the unique wetlands in southern Ontario keep on being, largely mainly because they have been converted for other works by using or have been drained for enhancement and agriculture. (Photo courtesy of Kawartha Land Have faith in)

For the reason that of their worth to the natural infrastructure, wetlands add an estimated $14 billion in financial advantages for Ontarians every single yr.

In spite of their ecological and financial benefit, a lot less than 30 for every cent of the unique wetlands in southern Ontario remain, largely because they have been converted for other uses or have been drained for growth and agriculture.

In late 2021, Kawartha Conservation — the conservation authority liable for the 2,563-sq.-kilometre Kawarthas watershed — donated two wetland properties on Nogies Creek and on Balsam Lake to Kawartha Land Have faith in, a non-government charitable group operating to safeguard land in the Kawarthas. Both equally of the wetlands have sizeable ecological attributes and present potential normal wildlife corridors to provincially protected regions.

Video: Nogies Creek and Balsam Lake

New #Shield Qualities on Balsam Lake & Nogies Creek. #LearnMore

Posted by Kawartha Land Trust on Thursday, November 4, 2021

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“This job has been a wonderful example of collaboration between conservation businesses,” says John Kintare, Kawartha Land Trust’s govt director.

“Wetlands are so critical for drought prevention, flood protection, water high-quality enhancement and, most importantly, are immensely worthwhile to weather resilience. Unfortunately, the homes didn’t healthy the mandate of Kawartha Conservation, so they ended up donated to Kawartha Land Belief to guarantee their long lasting safety.”

The project was manufactured achievable by the Government of Canada by the Pure Heritage Conservation Plan, aspect of Canada’s Character Fund. The Govt of Canada’s Pure Heritage Conservation Plan (NHCP) is a exceptional public-personal partnership to assistance new shielded and conserved parts by securing personal lands and non-public passions in lands. The program is managed by the Character Conservancy of Canada (NCC). Federal cash invested in the system are matched with contributions elevated by NCC and its partners, Ducks Endless Canada, and the country’s land trust group.

 

The Nogies Creek Residence

The Nogies Creek property includes significant ecological features and is a potential wildlife corridor between Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park and Queen Elizabeth Wildlands Provincial Park. (Photo courtesy of Kawartha Land Trust)
The Nogies Creek home features sizeable ecological characteristics and is a probable wildlife corridor amongst Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park and Queen Elizabeth Wildlands Provincial Park. (Image courtesy of Kawartha Land Belief)

Nogies Creek flows from Crystal Lake east of Kinmount into the north end of Pigeon Lake close to Bobcaygeon. The 40.5-hectare (100-acre) Nogies Lake house is positioned six kilometres north of the mouth of Nogies Creek and is only obtainable by h2o.

The Nogies Creek residence was discovered as ecologically considerable land as portion of Kawartha Land Trust’s Kawarthas Obviously Linked Preferred Situation task in 2016. The project identified that 29 for every cent of the natural landscape in the Kawarthas needs defense, but only 13 per cent is guarded.

The house on Nogies Creek contains considerable ecological features and is a probable wildlife corridor involving Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park and Queen Elizabeth Wildlands Provincial Park. It is right adjacent to Crown land and to the Nogies Creek Fish Sanctuary maintained by the Ministry of Northern Improvement and Mines, Purely natural Resources and Forestry.

The Nogies Creek property contains several types of ecosystems including mixed dry forest, mixed fresh and moist forests, and wetlands. With its mixed habitat types, both permanent and migratory species use the property, including species at risk and species of interest. (Photo courtesy of Kawartha Land Trust)
The Nogies Creek assets is made up of numerous sorts of ecosystems like combined dry forest, mixed contemporary and moist forests, and wetlands. With its combined habitat sorts, each permanent and migratory species use the assets, such as species at danger and species of desire. (Image courtesy of Kawartha Land Trust)

The house is made up of numerous types of ecosystems including blended dry forest, blended clean and moist forests, and wetlands. The land contains dry blended forests dominated by oak, maple, and hemlock species in the south, contemporary combined forests dominated by maple, birch, ash, and cedar in the central part, and at last mixed treed and open up wetlands in the north.

The ecosystems on the assets are different and in very good wellness. With its combined habitat varieties, both everlasting and migratory species use the assets, together with species at risk and species of curiosity. Wildlife observed on the residence include the eastern wooden-pewee, moose, black bears, and white-tailed deer.

While there is some evidence of human things to do on the home, like ATV trails, deer feeding stations, and rubbish, on the home, the threats to the ecosystem from these sorts of actions are minimal mainly because the house is beside Crown land.

 

The Balsam Lake House

The most distinguishable ecosystem on the Balsam Lake property is a cattail marsh that abuts the lake and slowly transitions into treed swamp ecosystems that are found on the rest of the property. (Photo courtesy of Kawartha Land Trust)
The most distinguishable ecosystem on the Balsam Lake residence is a cattail marsh that abuts the lake and bit by bit transitions into treed swamp ecosystems that are found on the relaxation of the property. (Image courtesy of Kawartha Land Have faith in)

Balsam Lake is the highest issue alongside the Trent-Severn Waterway, with drinking water flowing from Balsam Lake westward into the Trent-Severn method and eastward into Cameron Lake. With the communities of Coboconk on the north and Rosedale on the east, the lake gets drinking water from the Canadian Defend by way of the Gull River and from more compact streams surrounding the lake.

This 29-hectare (72-acre) Balsam Lake residence sits totally within just a provincially considerable wetland on the south bay of Balsam Lake, and contains 450 metres of natural shoreline along the lake. Bordering Elm Tree Street to the west and Balsam Lake to the east, the property is located close to nine kilometres southwest of Kirkfield and 12 kilometres west of Fenelon Falls.

Near to other qualities protected by Kawartha Land Trust, together with the Fell Wetland, Jones Woodlot, and Cation Wildlife Preserve houses, the Balsam Lake house includes a patchwork of shallow slow-shifting watercourses and non permanent drinking water bodies weaving via three distinct kinds of wetland ecosystems. The most distinguishable ecosystem is a cattail marsh that abuts Balsam Lake and bit by bit transitions into treed swamp ecosystems that are found on the relaxation of the house.

The Balsam Lake property provides excellent habitat for rare and at-risk species and is home to many native species, including the eastern wood peewee, common snapping turtles, and black ash tees. (Photo courtesy of Kawartha Land Trust)
The Balsam Lake home offers great habitat for scarce and at-threat species and is home to many indigenous species, such as the japanese wood peewee, widespread snapping turtles, and black ash tees. (Photo courtesy of Kawartha Land Belief)

Intensive surveys have recognized that the home is in great over-all well being, and offers superb habitat for scarce and at-possibility species. It is dwelling to numerous indigenous species, together with the jap wood peewee, common snapping turtles, and black ash tees.

Due to the fact it serves as a winter season deer property, the Ministry of Northern Improvement and Mines, Organic Assets, and Forestry has determined the residence as sizeable wildlife habitat.

 

Kawartha Land Trust logo

For far more information and facts about Kawartha Land Have faith in and the homes it safeguards, to donate to the non-gain firm, or for volunteer prospects, check out kawarthalandtrust.org. You can also abide by Kawartha Land Believe in on Fb, Instagram, and Twitter.

 

This tale was designed in partnership with Kawartha Land Trust.

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