Huw Morgan

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.”

Understanding the importance of good stewardship on private lands within the Highlands Corridor, HHLT initiated a Partners in Conservation (PIC) program in 2021. Thanks to a generous multi-year grant from Environment & Climate Change Canada, Habitat Stewardship Program, we were able to produce Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP) plans that support good stewardship and the protection of biodiversity for 8 landowners.

HHLT is pleased to announce that as of January 1, 2023, we have 12 Partners in Conservation within the Highlands Corridor.  All of our partners are under MFTIP plans that focus on the wise stewardship of land and waters and provide guidance on how to protect important wildlife habitats. The HHLT Partners in Conservation now protects 1578 ha of land in the Highlands Corridor.

A further 243 ha is protected by HHLT which owns two properties within the corridor: Dahl Forest and the Fred and Pearl Barry Wetland Reserve.  In addition, HHLT owns and manages two properties within the buffer of the Corridor: Barnum Creek Nature Reserve and Smith Forest, representing another 232 ha protected.

The Kawartha Land Trust owns, manages and protects a 42-ha property, Vincent Woods, within the Corridor and joined us in our goal of protecting the Corridor.

As a result of HHLT’s mapping and evaluating of wetland complexes within the Highlands Corridor, 4892 ha of wetland have been designated as provincially significant.  Landowners with Provincially Significant Wetlands are eligible for a 100% reduction of land taxes on applicable areas of their properties under the Conservation Land Tax Incentive Program.