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Our Protected Natural Areas
A shared vision for the protection of a natural corridor along the Niagara Escarpment.
The Bruce Trail Conservancy’s protected natural areas preserve the Escarpment’s unique biodiversity and provide nature-based solutions to addressing climate change. In our communities, these protected areas provide valuable ecosystem services, including mitigating flooding, storing carbon, filtering water, and supporting our physical and mental health.
As one of Ontario’s largest and most active land trusts, we’re responsible for the preservation of land. We add new protected natural areas to the Bruce Trail’s conservation corridor each year, and care for these special places through our land stewardship program. These natural areas protect a diverse array of habitats including wetlands, karst topography, open meadows, caves, towering scarp edges and lush forests – all within the Niagara Escarpment UNESCO World Biosphere.
Thank you to everyone who has donated so generously to help preserve these irreplaceable treasures, forever.
Why It Matters
Protected natural areas provide safe havens for wildlife, increase our resilience to climate change, provide clean air, water and healthy soils, improve our overall health and well-being through contact with nature, provide volunteer opportunities through our land stewardship program, celebrate, sustain and strengthen Indigenous knowledge, serve as environmental benchmarks for monitoring the health of natural systems, and provide opportunities for outdoor recreation.
What the Bruce Trail Conservancy is Doing
Many people don’t realize that the Bruce Trail is not permanently secure because roughly one-third of the Bruce Trail conservation corridor is still vulnerable to development. The BTC is working to fill in the gaps, to secure a home for the Bruce Trail and preserve a ribbon of wilderness along the Niagara Escarpment through the creation of protected natural areas.
What You Can Do:
A shared vision for the protection of a natural corridor along the Niagara Escarpment.
The Bruce Trail Conservancy’s protected natural areas preserve the Escarpment’s unique biodiversity and provide nature-based solutions to addressing climate change. In our communities, these protected areas provide valuable ecosystem services, including mitigating flooding, storing carbon, filtering water, and supporting our physical and mental health.
As one of Ontario’s largest and most active land trusts, we’re responsible for the preservation of land. We add new protected natural areas to the Bruce Trail’s conservation corridor each year, and care for these special places through our land stewardship program. These natural areas protect a diverse array of habitats including wetlands, karst topography, open meadows, caves, towering scarp edges and lush forests – all within the Niagara Escarpment UNESCO World Biosphere.
Thank you to everyone who has donated so generously to help preserve these irreplaceable treasures, forever.
Why It Matters
Protected natural areas provide safe havens for wildlife, increase our resilience to climate change, provide clean air, water and healthy soils, improve our overall health and well-being through contact with nature, provide volunteer opportunities through our land stewardship program, celebrate, sustain and strengthen Indigenous knowledge, serve as environmental benchmarks for monitoring the health of natural systems, and provide opportunities for outdoor recreation.
What the Bruce Trail Conservancy is Doing
Many people don’t realize that the Bruce Trail is not permanently secure because roughly one-third of the Bruce Trail conservation corridor is still vulnerable to development. The BTC is working to fill in the gaps, to secure a home for the Bruce Trail and preserve a ribbon of wilderness along the Niagara Escarpment through the creation of protected natural areas.
What You Can Do:
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Our Newly Protected Natural Areas
2023-2024
463.5 acres | 2,475 m of Trail
Why this place is important:
Located in the Peninsula section, this large nature reserve is home to a vast amount of interior forest, an increasingly rare habitat in Southern Ontario. The nature reserve provides habitat to a variety of escarpment species including Black Bear and Eastern Wood Pewee. The entire property sits on a karst foundation, which contains natural sinks for carbon dioxide and plays an important role in water purification.
Features:
- Healthy interior forest
- Significant karst foundation, important for climate change mitigation
- Significant amount of Bruce Trail through the pristine woods
50 acres | 408 m of Trail
Why this place is important:
Located in the Sydenham section, Mossy Gorge Nature Reserve features serene forest habitat perfect for woodland birds and a variety of species of special concern. The main characteristics of the nature reserve is a large ravine running through it with exposed escarpment rock covered in velvety moss. The property also has a renaturalizing mature pine plantation, proof of nature’s resilience.
Features:
- Significant interior hardwood forest
- Renaturalizing Pine plantation
- Large ravine of mossy rocks
15 acres | 650 m of Trail
Why this place is important:
Located in the Caledon Hills section, this nature reserve is where two tributaries of the upper Humber River converge. Running through open forests, the Trail passes over both watercourses. By securing this nature reserve, 650 m of Trail will remain off the busy nearby roads.
Features:
- Two tributaries of the Humber River
- Mixed forest
- Regenerating pine plantation
12.6 acres | 635 m of Trail
Why this place is important:
Located in the Beaver Valley section, securing this new property has expanded the existing Blantyre Springs Nature Reserve by 12.6 acres, making it now 45.6 acres in total. The Trail has crossed through the south-east corner of the property for many years thanks to a handshake agreement with the previous owner. This nature reserve features Sugar Maples with pockets of White Cedar and Hemlock as well as three watercourses.
Features:
- Sugar Maple with pockets of White Cedar and Hemlock
- Three delightful watercourses
- Protects a growing connected corridor
153 acres | 820 m of Trail
Why this place is important:
Located in the Sydenham section, this large nature reserve is home to a variety of habitats including Sugar Maple and Cedar forests, and marshy wetlands and meadowmarsh. The nature reserve lies within the Bayview Escarpment provincially significant Life Science ANSI and creates a vast 35 km woodland corridor extending from Chatsworth to Cape Rich.
Features:
- Meadowmarsh and Cattail swamp
- A sizeable Sugar Maple and dense Cedar forest
- Habitat for birds, amphibians and mammals alike
24 acres | 1,053 m of Trail
Why this place is important:
Located in the Peninsula section, this large nature reserve takes a significant amount of Trail off of a nearby road. The east side of the property features invaluable wetland habitat as well as Trembling Aspen and White Cedar forests. This transitions to into a mature Sugar Maple forest with views of Georgian Bay on the west side. The west side also has a forested slope with significant escarpment outcrops. The fascinating lichens and mosses growing on the downed trees on the slope are where the nature reserve gets its name.
Features:
- Wetland habitat
- Trembling Aspen and White Cedar forest
- Escarpment outcrops
0.2 acres | 33 m of Trail
Why this place is important:
Located in the Blue Mountains section, this easement donated by the Osler Bluff Ski Club is a crucial link between the BTC’s Fern Crevice Nature Reserve and the Petun Conservation Area. This small but critical easement helps to avoid conflicts between the Trail and the Ski Club’s facilities, and will allow everyone to enjoy the area safely.
Features:
- Permanently protects the Trail through this area
2.2 acres | 319 m of Trail
Why this place is important:
Located in the Iroquoia section, this corridor provides a connection between the community of Kilbride and Yaremko-Ridley Park. This corridor consists of small wooded areas adjacent to the Kilbride Park and provides safe passage, taking the Trail off of the nearby busy roads.
Features:
- Small wooded area
- Safe passage through Kilbride, taking the Trail off the road
The Bill and Cecilie Moses Family Property
35 acres | 945 m of Trail
Why this place is important:
Thanks to the generosity of donors Bill and Cecilie Moses
Features:
- Lush bushland
- Heathy Sumac population
- Create a safer hiking experience
216 acres | 1,180 m of Trail
Why this place is important:
Located within the Hockley Valley region, adjacent to the Rushing River Nature Reserve, the Riverside Woods Nature Reserve is an exceptional 216-acre natural sanctuary.
This nature reserve features a variety of habitats including mature forests, abundant meadows and the Nottawasaga River. These habitats provide refuge for a variety species such as Monarch butterflies, Spring Peepers, Bobolinks, and Eastern Meadowlarks.
Features:
- Mature forests
- Meadows
- Nottawasage River
Coldwater Ravine Nature Reserve
25 acres | 196 m of trail
Why this place is important:
This new nature reserve is tucked between two parts of the Hockley Valley Provincial Nature Reserve near the BTC’s MapleCross Nature Reserve at Canning’s Falls in Mono. This property features a wooded ravine that is bisected by a tributary of the Nottawasaga River. This coldwater stream is an important habitat for species who are restricted to these conditions such as the Brooke Trout.
Currently, there is no Trail on the property but the hope is that securing this land will bring the BTC one step closer to creating a connected corridor including Canning’s Falls.
Features:
- Coldwater stream
- Beautiful mixed forest
- Creates connections with BTC properties and provincial nature reserves
1.4 acres | 78 m of Trail
Why this place is important:
Located in the Iroquoia section along the escarpment ridge in Grimsby, this is the first of many pieces needed to secure the Bruce Trail in this area. Featuring beautiful rocky cliffs and dense deciduous forest, this newly protected natural area will be home to 78 m of scenic Bruce Trail once access is secured and the Bruce Trail is taken off of nearby roads.
Features:
- Healthy deciduous forest with elderberry featured in the understory.
- First step in taking the Bruce Trail off of nearby roads.
2.3 acres | 832 m of Trail
Why this place is important:
Located in the Iroquoia section along the Dundas Valley Golf and Curling Club, this narrow strip of land is an important piece that has ensured the future of the Bruce Trail through this area for generations to come. Though narrow, this wooded strip is home to many bird species including Red-tailed Hawks, Dark-eyed Juncos and many more.
Features:
- 832 m of Bruce Trail route secured forever.
- Wooded area refuge for many local species.
40 acres | 700 m of Trail
Why this place is important:
The Woodford Karst Nature Reserve lies adjacent to the BTC’s Crevice Springs property and showcases a mix of vital and valuable ecosystems including a large Sugar Maple forest, deciduous forest, Meadowmarsh, White Cedar Swamp, and impressive talus and crevice systems. Along with neighbouring protected natural lands, the property creates a 14 km woodland, Escarpment and wetland corridor within the Bognor Marsh and Escarpment Life Science ANSI.
Features:
- Significant interior hardwood forest
- Renaturalizing Pine plantation
- Large ravine of mossy rocks
The Bill and Cecilie Moses Family Property
35 acres | 945 m of trail
Why this place is important:
Thanks to the generosity of supporters Bill and Cecilie Moses, 35 acres of beautiful Niagara Escarpment land is now protected. Located east of Owen Sound, this property features a pond, marshlands, and many trees planted by the Moses family on what was previously abandoned farmland. This property is a safe haven for many species of insects, reptiles such as turtles and snakes, amphibians who thrive in the wetlands, and bird species in the area.
Thank you to Bill and Cecilie and their family for this amazing contribution to our ribbon of wilderness. Because of them, people will be able to explore and enjoy this scenic land for generations to come.
Features:
- Pond and and wetlands
- Regenerating woods
Sunrise Shores Nature Reserve
64 acres | 630 m of trail
Why this place is important:
Thanks to the support of over 870 donors, Sunrise Shores Nature Reserve, located in the Peninsula section, is now protected. This property included the longest remaining section of shoreline Bruce Trail that needed to be secured. Now, not only is the Trail secured through the area, allowing hikers for generations come to explore its beauty, but a variety of habitats will also be able to flourish. This nature reserve is home to a mature Sugar Maple forest, talus and cliff edges, as well as transitional habitat along the shore. These habitats are critical for species at risk including the Eastern Wood Pewee and the Wood Thrush as well as other birds, bats, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals including the Black Bear.
Features:
- Over 600 m of Georgian Bay shoreline
- Mature Sugar Maple forest
- 100 metre Escarpment cliffs
Our Protected Natural Areas
Land Acknowledgement
The Bruce Trail Conservancy wishes to acknowledge and honour the lands of the Niagara Escarpment as the traditional territory of Indigenous peoples. In both spirit and partnership, we recognize and thank the Anishinaabek, Huron-Wendat, Tionontati, Neutral Nation, Haudenosaunee, Métis, and all who provided stewardship of these lands over millennia.
Recognition of the contributions of Indigenous peoples is consistent with our commitment to making the promise of Truth and Reconciliation real in our communities. We are grateful for the opportunity to live, work, and play here and thank all those who have served and continue to serve as caretakers of this special place.
We are also mindful of broken covenants and the need to reconcile with all our allies and relations. Together, may we care for this land and each other, drawing upon the strength of our mutual history through peace and friendship, to create a lasting legacy of conservation for generations to come.