Land/Site Securement and Stewardship

The Conservancy works with private landowners who are interested in conserving the natural and cultural heritage features of their properties. Donations of land or conservation agreements entitle the landowner to what can often be significant tax benefits. A conservation agreement outlines conditions or restrictions initiated by the landowner and is registered on the land title so that future owners continue to protect the natural or cultural values of the property.

The Conservancy conducts site visits, explores the conservation options that might suit each landowner and refers interested parties to appropriate agencies and professional advisors.  Conversations with the Conservancy about possible securement approaches sometimes continue over several years.  See the Landowners page for more information about the various approaches to long-term conservation of private property and for information about tax incentive programs associated with stewardship activities.

The Conservancy’s Securement Program is generously funded by the Metcalf Foundation, the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation and individual donors.

Information and Mapping Services

The role of the Conservancy’s Information and Mapping Services program is to provide geographic support and services with a focus on identifying heritage conservation priorities, assessing sites, and monitoring achievements. This program is supported by establishing a common bioregional vision of the Kawarthas and connecting landscapes.

Geographical information system (GIS) and mapping services offer a solution for managing change and supporting conservation decision-making.

The Kawartha Heritage Conservancy is a member of the Ontario Geospatial Data Exchange created by Land Information Ontario of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR). The exchange allows government and non-profit organizations with similar interests to easily and appropriately share and exchange digital land information.

We have worked with data, staff, and students from Fleming College, Trent University, Ryerson University, University of Toronto, the Natural Heritage Information Centre (OMNR), Couchiching Conservancy and The Land Between Collaborative. Data collection and analyses, such as for heritage and agricultural features, help inform decision making and enhance presentations. We look forward to adding to this program in order to support the work of local, provincial and federal agencies and organizations.

The Conservancy’s Information and Mapping Services Program is generously funded by the Metcalf Foundation, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, federal government student employment programs and individual donors.

 

Farmlands Program

The Farmlands Program was created in 2006. Its mission is to secure a sustainable future for the region’s farmers and farmlands. A sample of some of the Program activities include:

WORKSHOPS

The Farmlands Program brings hands-on farming workshops to the region every winter, based on the interests of local farmers.

NEW FARMERS

The Program mandate to keep farmland in active production means that supporting new farmers is a primary focus for us.

We have recently facilitated the creation of a CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training) group in the area. See www.craftontario.ca for more information.

We have also worked closely with Fleming College during the development of their exciting new graduate certificate in Sustainable Agriculture starting at the Lindsay campus in January 2010.

BEEF CO-OP

Support for farmers is provided through hosting meetings and commissioning a feasibility study for an organic beef co-op. Where many farmers are finding it hard to make ends meet in the beef business, organic beef carries a strong premium, and the positive outlook in the feasibility study has led a core group to move toward incorporation in 2009 or 2010.

RESEARCH

Ground-breaking research has been completed on the implications for farmland owners registering a farmland conservation agreement on their lands.  This research suggests that farmland protection could go hand in hand with supporting new farmers in accessing land at below market cost in some cases.

Over the past three years, the Program’s research has also shed light on land use trends in agriculture on thousands of acres in the Region. Detailed studies undertaken in Durham, Northumberland, City of Kawartha Lakes and Peterborough County have especially highlighted the increasing percentage of farmland that is not farmed by the owner, but by a tenant. Concerns for the future include the fact that non-farming farm owners may have little knowledge of farm stewardship.

For more information on current work and activities,

contact Mike Hendren at director@kawarthaheritage.org

 

Other program activities

The Land Between

The Land Between began as a Collaborative program with a neigbouring land trust to the west, the Couchiching Conservancy, to pursue Peter Alley's vision of understanding and enhancing a distinct ecological region. The program has grown under the leadership of Manager, Leora Berman, and its many and diverse working partners are its true constitution. The momentum and opportunities presented have warranted the development of a broader structure that is aligned with this potential.

The Land Between goals are to enhance the social, cultural, natural and economic features of a landscape of 20 to 60 kilometers wide, and which extends from Georgian Bay to the Frontenac Arch.  This region marks the transition between the Canadian Shield to the north and the St. Lawrence Lowlands. It is a mosaic of exposed granite and limestone bedrock characterized by a high diversity of plant and animal populations. The Kawartha bioregion is central in The Land Between.  

For more information about The Land Between, contact Leora Berman, Program Manager at 705-457-4838; or by email tlb@thelandbetween.ca or visit www.thelandbetween.ca

 

Outreach and current research

Integral to all of the Conservancy’s programs. We have worked with Trent University, Sir Sanford Fleming College and Ryerson University faculty and students on a variety of cultural and natural heritage projects around the bioregion. Some of the projects involving Trent students have been facilitated by the Trent Centre for Community-Based Education. The Conservancy’s operating principles include using the best available science and local knowledge to identify priority locations for its conservation work.

The Conservancy has advised the City of Peterborough, North Kawartha Township, Trent University and local Conservation Authorities on their use of the federal Ecogifts Program, tax incentives, donations and conservation agreements.  Such advice helps to secure donations of significant sites, including two Natural Areas recognized by the City of Peterborough.

The Conservancy is involved in several multi-organization environmental partnerships in the Kawartha bioregion.

The Conservancy is a founding partner of the Large Woodlands Conservation Cooperative, an organization that works with woodlot owners whose properties together make up large, relatively unfragmented forests in south-central Ontario.

The Conservancy is one of 30 conservation and environmental organizations involved in the Caring for the Moraine Project – Ganaraska Hills Area.  Funded by the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation, the partners assist landowners on the Moraine with stewardship and conservation activity.

The Conservancy is part of the Kawartha Region Team of the Waterway Wildlife partnership.  With the support of the Trent-Severn Waterway a number of conservation and stewardship organizations are working together to raise awareness of wildlife at risk and their habitats in the vicinity of the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Please see our Partners page for more details on these initiatives.

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