Land Trust nets conservation monies
Jan 5, 2010

Northumberland's Land Trust was the recipient of funding in 2009 to assist with the acquisition of a 177-acre piece of property in Cramahe Township.

"We would have had tremendous difficulty in completing the work were it not for the generosity of the Ontario Land Trust Assistance Program (OLTAP)," said James Thomas, president of the local chapter.

Northumberland received more than $3,200 to produce a detailed Baseline Documentation Report on Molly Leckey's Cramahe property when she donated the 177-acre Conservation Easement to the Northumberland Land Trust.

Prior to that grant, Northumberland received $9,000 toward legal fees, a survey and appraisal of the easement in 2007.
"It is our job to preserve and protect these lands into perpetuity," said Thomas.

Dedicated to conservation, Minister of Natural Resources Donna Cansfield's ministry supports the Ontario Land Trust that provides land trusts with financial grants towards the costs of land securement transactions to help conserve Ontario's biodiversity.

To date, the OLTAP grants of over $630,000 have helped land trusts protect 9,421 acres of land with an appraised value of $24.3 million.

There was a meeting last month that was part of the annual conference of Ontario land trusts and other conservationists in Barrie. Minister Cansfield reviewed the many accomplishments by her ministry in land conservation and expressed her support of the work done by land trusts and the Ontario Land Trust Alliance.

"This was an opportunity for land trusts to meet with the Minister and express their appreciation for the Ministry of Natural Resources' support for land conservation at the community level. The Ontario Land Trust Assistance Program is extremely important and we are grateful that the Minister recognizes the valuable contribution land trusts make to support Ontario's biodiversity," says Ian Macnab, Executive Director of the Ontario Land Trust Alliance.

Land trusts are non-profit, charitable organizations that have as one of their core activities the acquisition of land or interests in land (such as conservation easements) for the purpose of conservation. Most land trusts focus on conserving the biological values of land but across the continent, land trusts have also been established to protect scenic, historical, agricultural and recreational lands.

According to Elisabeth La Fontaine, director of communications for the Northumberland Land Trust, their job is to ensure no development takes place on lands such as the one donated by Leckey.

She says that Leckey donated the land in order to conserve it forever, so when the land is sold, the easement remains on the property.

It's the land trust's responsibility to visit the property periodically to check for any type of development to the cutting of trees, she says.

"The onus is on us to keep a good relationship with the owners," said La Fontaine.

Northumberland Today
Joyce Cassin jcassin@northumbrelandtoday.com

The work of the Northumberland Land Trust continues apace! The Mission of this not-for-profit organization is to 'Preserve the natural, historical and cultural heritage of Northumberland County' and with a recent donation of 100 acres in Hope Township they are doing just that.

Discussions are well advanced between The Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Northumberland Land Trust to settle on the terms of a land-holding agreement that will ensure long-term protection for this property. The land was donated to NCC by the McEwen family with the understanding that it would be transferred, for monitoring and stewardship, to NLT.