Key Conservation acquisition by the Thousand Islands Watershed Land Trust is an environmental win

Athens – The Thousand Islands Watershed Land Trust (TIWLT) announces it has agreed with a private landowner to purchase a 147-acre property north-east of Charleston Lake we’re calling Whip-poor-will Woods, after the local but at-risk bird.

This is a keystone property in the Gananoque River System watershed as it directly connects Charleston Lake Provincial Park to blocks of crown lands and touches another 200 acres of land where TIWLT has conservation easements. This property will add a key piece to TIWLT’s conservation strategy. Stay tuned, as 2024 will bring other critical, natural places into the conservation fold
for years to come, 4ever.

“Leeders Creek, which feeds directly into Charleston Lake, runs through this property”, says TIWLT Executive Director Calder Schweitzer. “It’s a beautiful, big-picture puzzle piece of wetlands and forests that together form the headwaters of an enormously vital and scenic water system that ultimately flows into the St Lawrence River. It’s perfect in all respects for helping us preserve our area 4ever”.

Don Ross, President of TIWLT, adds “The importance of this property within the watershed cannot be overstated. TIWLT’s area is arguably the most important migration corridor in eastern Canada, connecting Algonquin Provincial Park and the Canadian Shield with the Adirondacks in the US. Hundreds of different species of plants and animals move through here, which helps explain why so many people from Ottawa south to Kingston and Brockville, choose to vacation here or have cottages. This
TIWLT property will go a long way to protecting what they love.”

TIWLT had announced a fundraising goal in Fall 2023, of $250,000 to help purchase this and other properties vital to conservation. A generous previous TIWLT donor offered matching funds up to $50,000 for donations and a partial grant towards the purchase. Funding was also provided by Environment and Climate Change, Canada’s “Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund” and the Province of Ontario’s Greenlands Conservation Partnership.

“Ontario is known for our incredibly diverse biodiversity, like this property that borders Charleston Lake Provincial Park, it is one of the most important migration bird corridors in eastern Canada,” said Andrea Khanjin, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “That’s why our government is working alongside conservation partners, including private landowners,
to permanently protect this area for future generations. With our support, Thousand Islands Watershed Land Trust will be able to protect 147 acres – equal to more than 79 soccer fields.”

The Greenlands Conservation Partnership helps conserve ecologically important natural areas and protect wetlands, grasslands and forests that help mitigate the effects of climate change. Through the Greenlands Conservation Partnership, a total of $38 million has been invested to date by the Ontario government. Additional match funds are raised from other sources, such as individual donations and foundation support through the Nature Conservancy of Canada the Ontario Land Trust Alliance, and other levels of government.

For more information on this important environmental win, please see our latest “Conservation Matters” newsletter on our website tiwlt.ca/news/. Click Newsletter Archive.

To all who made Whip-poor-will Woods possible, our 4ever thanks! Visit our website to learn more about TIWLT and donate directly or volunteer. A tax receipt will be provided for every donation. www.tiwlt.ca