Highlands Corridor

Huw Morgan

The Highlands Corridor Project launches at Queen’s Park

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The HHLT team presenting the Highlands Corridor Project at Queen's Park
The HHLT team presenting the Highlands Corridor Project at Queen's Park

Queen’s Park, Toronto, June 7: At a celebration at Queen’s Park today the Highlands Corridor Project was officially launched by the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT), a group of local Haliburton decision-makers and landowners who travelled to Toronto for the occasion, and a group of invited MPPs and key stakeholders.

“I am happy to help raise awareness for this project and host the Haliburton Highland Land Trust reception”, said Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock.

The Highlands Corridor extends across southern Haliburton and northern Peterborough counties, within the territory of the Williams Treaties First Nations. The Corridor covers over 100,000 ha of unceded public and private land, rich with wetlands, forests, wildlife communities, species at risk, and deep carbon deposits. Connecting three provincial parks (Queen Elizabeth II, Kawartha Highlands and Silent Lake), the Corridor offers a nature-based solution to building climate change resilience, protecting lands and waters, and maintaining biodiversity and natural connectivity.

Protecting the Highlands Corridor is the greatest opportunity to enhance habitat connectivity in Central and Southern Ontario.

MPPs from all political parties attended the reception. John Yakabuski, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks said: “Our government is proud to share the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust’s commitment to support the permanent protection of lands of ecological significance for future generations.”

Former MPP and former Warden of Haliburton County, Chris Hodgson, is a strong supporter of the Project and said: “HHLT’s initiative to protect the Highlands Corridor will enhance connectivity between Queen Elizabeth II Provincial Park and Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park, creating an important wildlife corridor in south central Ontario and a huge opportunity for biodiversity conservation.”

The Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT) is requesting the 60,000 ha of unceded Crown land within the Corridor be protected as a conservation reserve. This initiative has strong local support with a resolution of support passed by the County of Haliburton on February 22 nd , 2023. Private landowners within the Highlands Corridor have also demonstrated support through partnering with the HHLT to steward another 1658 ha of private land within the Corridor.

March 3rd Meeting Recap – Introducing the Highlands Corridor

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From left to right Paul Heaven, Christel Furniss, Klara Oyler, OTF rep, Laurie Scott, MPP, Shelley Hunt, Sheila Ziman and Ralph Baehre
From left to right Paul Heaven, Christel Furniss, Klara Oyler, OTF rep, Laurie Scott, MPP, Shelley Hunt, Sheila Ziman and Ralph Baehre

On March 3, 2023, over 50 people braved a winter storm warning to attend the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust’s presentation on the Highlands Corridor at the Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association Fish Hatchery.

Shelley Hunt started the evening with a lovely new slideshow highlighting the work of HHLT. Photos of the five properties we own, manage and protect were shown in addition to photos of past and present educational events and research projects.  A summary of our research efforts segued perfectly into the Corridor presentation where Paul Heaven, HHLT project biologist took over.

Heaven explained the importance of the Highlands Corridor, giving an excellent overview of its ecological importance.  While the audience viewed the map of the Highlands Corridor, he revealed information on the research HHLT has done on Species at Risk, wetland mapping and provincially significant wetland complexes within the Highlands Corridor.  He emphasized the importance of the Corridor’s natural infrastructure in preventing flooding and maintaining biodiversity while also contributing to the area’s economy by drawing tourists all year round.

HHLT strategies for protecting the Corridor were outlined.  Heaven stressed that there would be no restrictions on private land within the Corridor, other than our Partners in Conservation – a totally voluntary program initiated by HHLT to engage private landowners in good stewardship. Participating landowners have an opportunity to enroll in the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP) and receive a ten-year property tax incentive for good stewardship. These landowners are crucial for helping to build connectivity between the three provincial parks within the Corridor.

Most importantly, HHLT is advocating that unceded Crown lands and waters within the Highlands Corridor be designated as a conservation reserve in order to enhance connectivity, maintain biodiversity and build resilience to climate change. As Chris Hodgson, former MPP and former Warden Haliburton County says, “HHLT’s initiative to protect the Highlands Corridor will enhance connectivity between Queen Elizabeth II Provincial Park and Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park, creating an important wildlife corridor in south central Ontario and a huge opportunity for biodiversity conservation.”

The audience was also treated to spectacular aerial views of the Corridor when the video produced by Brad Brown of UpsideBrown was shown.

At the conclusion, there were several thoughtful questions from the audience.  Lillian Hall asked how the boundaries were determined.  Shelley Hunt replied, “This is really a starting point for negotiations.  The boundaries may be refined as we move forward in our discussions with other stakeholders.”  Dave Bathe wanted to know how someone became a Partner in Conservation. Heaven encouraged people to contact him if they were interested in participating in this program and enrolling in the MFTIP or if they had an existing plan that would be complementary to the program.

The event was also a recognition of funding ($9,100) from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to help HHLT develop a new strategic plan that addresses the need for recovery from the recent pandemic, enhances resilience to future disruptions and builds organizational capacity.  Shelley Hunt, HHLT chair, thanked MPP Laurie Scott and OTF representative, Klara Oyler, for their continued support of the Land Trust.

Through the strategic planning process, HHLT confirmed its purpose of protecting lands and waters in Haliburton County for future generations and prioritized its work on protecting unceded Crown lands and waters in the Highlands Corridor.

County Council Supports HHLT’s Conservation Efforts in the Highlands Corridor

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On February 22, 2023, Shelley Hunt, Haliburton Highlands Land Trust’s (HHLT) chair and Paul Heaven, HHLT’s project biologist, gave a presentation to Haliburton County Council about the Highlands Corridor.

The Highlands Corridor is a significant wildlife corridor covering over 100,000 hectares of unceded public and private land, rich with wetlands, forest, wildlife communities, species at risk and deep carbon deposits. Connecting three provincial parks (Queen Elizabeth II, Silent Lake and Kawartha Highlands), the Corridor offers a nature-based solution to building climate change resilience, protecting lands and waters, and maintaining biodiversity.

The presentation explained the significance of the Corridor and HHLT’s strategy for protecting it. Following the presentation, several councillors praised HHLT’s conservation work and expressed their support of its efforts.

Questions were raised regarding the boundaries of the Highlands Corridor and the implications of designating Crown land as a conservation reserve, especially with regard to housing.

Shelley Hunt acknowledged their concerns about the potential for housing on Crown land and stressed that HHLT was primarily interested in protecting ecologically sensitive lands and waters and connectivity between the three provincial parks.  She agreed that housing was important and suitable sites on Crown land would need to be taken into consideration when defining the boundaries of the conservation reserve.

County Council concluded by passing a resolution to, “support in principle the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust and their efforts to better protect Crown lands and waters in the Highlands Corridor.  Haliburton County requests that they be consulted as boundaries of the Corridor are further refined and Crown lands that are to be protected as a conservation reserve are identified.”

HHLT looks forward to consulting with the County to understand housing opportunities within the Highlands Corridor, and work together to build climate change resilience, protect lands and waters and maintain biodiversity.

 

Join us for the Highlands Corridor Announcement March 3rd

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Introducing the Highlands Corridor

Date: Friday, March 3 (7:00pm to 9:30pm)
Location: Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association, Fish Hatchery, 6712 Gelert Rd,
Haliburton, Ontario

Please join the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust to learn more about our exciting new initiative
to protect the Highlands Corridor. This area is a significant wildlife corridor covering over
100,000 hectares of unceded public and private land connecting three provincial parks: Queen
Elizabeth II, Kawartha Highlands and Silent Lake. Rich with wetlands, forest, wildlife
communities, species at risk and deep carbon deposits, the Highlands Corridor offers a nature-
based solution to building climate change resilience, protecting lands and waters, and
maintaining biodiversity.

Wildlife Biologist, Paul Heaven, will present a review of the ecological significance and values
of the Highlands Corridor. Land Trust Chair, Shelley Hunt, will explain the Land Trust’s
strategies for protecting this valuable corridor.

Shelley will also thank MPP Laurie Scott for her government’s support through the Ontario
Trillium Foundation for a grant to develop a new strategic plan for the Land Trust.  Through that
strategic planning process, the Land Trust has affirmed its goal of being a leader and organizer of
research and support for the Highlands Corridor initiative.

Learn how you can help support the protection of this important wildlife corridor in Haliburton
County. Protecting the Highlands Corridor is a wonderful opportunity to contribute to Canada’s
commitment of protecting 30% of lands and waters by 2030.

Schad Foundation Supports HHLT

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In November 2022, the Schad Foundation donated $10,000 to support the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT) for its work to advance protection of the Highlands Corridor. Peter Kendall, Executive Director of the Schad Foundation explained, “Conserving this important wildlife corridor is a great opportunity to expand protected areas in south central Ontario, ensuring that the critical habitat and ecological services provided by this unique area remain intact for generations to come.”

The Highlands Corridor covers over 100,000 ha of unceded public and private land, rich with wetlands, forests, wildlife communities, species at risk, and deep carbon deposits. Connecting three provincial parks, the Corridor offers a nature-based solution to building climate change resilience, protecting lands and waters, and maintaining biodiversity.

Wildlife Conservation Society Canada – Key Biodiversity Areas in Haliburton County

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The Haliburton Highlands Land Trust has been in conversation with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada and through the implementation of a data sharing agreement, has provided data and mapping from the Highlands Corridor for consideration as a Key Biodiversity Area.

On January 5, the Highlander reported that Lynsey Grosfield, conservation communications manager for the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, indicated there would be more local Key Biodiversity Areas identified in the future.

“There are a number of sites in the area. One that I can see being assessed right now in the boundaries of Haliburton County is the Highlands Corridor.”