The Canadian Marine Discovery Centre was awash with green Nov 14 as the Bruce Trail Conservancy hosted its annual Donor Recognition awards.
The event was held to thank those who made 2008 a phenomenal year for the Bruce Trail Conservancy. It is now one of Ontario’s largest land trusts, protecting more than 2,488 hectares (6,149 acres) of natural space along the Niagara Escarpment.
Donors helped secure an additional 15 conservation corridor properties, adding 330 hectares (815 acres) of preserved Escarpment landscape. The conservancy received more that $2.3-million in donations and grants. The funds secured an array of landscapes including towering cliffs, old growth cedar habitat, sensitive wetlands, rocky shorelines and lush forests.
“Our donors continue to see the big picture value in securing the Niagara Escarpment’s natural spaces,” said Executive Director of The Bruce Trail Conservancy Beth Kümmling. “Over six million people live within a 90 minute drive of the Bruce Trail and more than 400,000 visits are made to the trail annually.
“Our donors have given the people of Ontario a wonderful gift. I would like to personally encourage Ontarians to visit the Bruce Trail. Enjoy and admire the glorious Escarpment landscape and truly see for yourself how these contributions help preserve the escarpment as a legacy for future generations.”
Individual donors are a critical part of the group’s funding equation, and the Bruce Trail Conservancy receives grants from government partners.
Special guest Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield, addressed the gathered donors.
“In southern Ontario, protecting and preserving environmentally sensitive lands and watersheds for future generations can be particularly challenging,” said Cansfield.
“But we are up to the challenge. My ministry’s land acquisition and securement partnerships with the Bruce Trail Conservancy and other conservation organizations have collectively achieved far more than would have been possible otherwise.”
The Bruce Trail Conservancy is a charitable organization committed to establishing a conservation corridor containing a public footpath along the Niagara Escarpment, in order to protect its natural ecosystems and to promote environmentally responsible public access to the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.
For more information about the Bruce Trail and the Bruce Trail Conservancy, call 1-800-665-HIKE or visit www.brucetrail.org.
