Our conservation efforts focus on the management and protection of our 5 properties and their combined 1,200 acres of forest, wetlands and open areas.
Through federal, provincial and corporate grants and at times partnerships with other environmental organizations, HHLT engages in other conservation projects with the aim to protect land, wetlands and lakes in and around Haliburton County.
Selected Past Conservation Projects
Goats at Work: HHLT Conservation in Action
Grant Funder: Haliburton County Development Corporation – Local Initiatives Program
Category: Research, Education, Conservation
End Date: March 15, 2023
Grant Amount: $ 4,000
This grant will enable the Land Trust to do a pilot project to evaluate the efficacy of using goats to clear one hectare of the open area at Barnum Creek Nature Reserve (BCNR). Keeping the open area (27 hectares) clear at BCNR is a priority property management strategy for the Land Trust. Open areas are limited in Haliburton County; however, they are very important in providing habitat for those species that like to bask in the sun (e.g., snakes) and forage and nest in fields (e.g., Eastern Bluebirds and Whip-poor-will).
Sheila Ziman, a Director of HHLT, was interviewed about this project on CBC's Ontario Morning program on May 17th. Please click the play button below to listen to the interview.
Wetland Evaluations (5 Projects)
Grant Funders: Ontario Ministry of the Environment (SAR), Environment Canada Habitat Stewardship Fund, Environment Canada Climate Action Fund, RBC Foundation, RBC Tech for Nature
Timeframe: 2017-2021
Categories: Conservation, Research (SAR)
Recognizing the importance of wetlands, HHLT, Ontario Nature and Glenside Ecological Services Limited evaluated five large wetland complexes in Haliburton Highlands and the Highlands Corridor. As a result of the evaluations, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF) classified all five complexes as Provincially Significant. This is the highest level of protection that can be afforded to a wetland.
The wetlands that have been evaluated so far are: Milburn Wetland Complex (2017), Bark Creek Wetland Complex (2019), Kendrick Creek Wetland Complex (2019), Lochlin Wetland Complex (2020) and South Milburn Wetland Complex (2021)
Wetland Mapping
Grant Funder: The Ontario Trillium Foundation SEED Grant
Category: Conservation, Research
End Date: 2020
Grant Amount: $71,000
THis project developed and tested a new remote mapping technique to be applied at the landscape level. The test areas included the townships of Lutterworth and Snowdon in the Township of Minden Hills, and Glamorgan in the Municipality of Highlands East. With the application of a systematic approach, standardized effort and digitizing scale, the HHLT was successful in developing a comprehensive wetland layer with consistently accurate wetland boundaries. HHLT engaged Glenside Ecological Services Limited to conduct the work. The improved mapping provides local planners with a more accurate tool when assessing future development requests. Listen to an interview about this work on Canoe FM here.