Talisman Forest Nature Reserve
You can help protect and restore 134 acres along the Niagara Escarpment.
A talisman is often seen as a charm that brings good fortune, protection, or healing, something believed to possess a kind of enchanted magic. For many, a talisman is a living symbol connected to the land and the natural world.
Reflected in its name, Talisman Forest Nature Reserve is a charm in the Beaver Valley. With your help, we can protect it and accelerate its healing so visitors can stay connected to the natural world for generations to come.
After years in which the future of Talisman was uncertain, the Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC) is stepping in to protect this property, with ambitious plans to return it to nature by removing the deteriorating resort structures and making it accessible via the 885 metres of Bruce Trail. But we need your support.
Your gift towards this once-in-a-generation project will be matched!
History
Located near Kimberley, Ontario, in the heart of the Beaver Valley, the Talisman lands were once a bustling ski hill, where many people in Southern Ontario visited on class trips and spent time outdoors with family and friends. That is until 2011, when the business was shuttered for good.
The former ski area and resort sat dormant for over a decade. Proposals for large-scale development of the property over the years were met with significant resistance, as residents and conservationists voiced deep concerns about environmental impacts and the precedent such projects could set for other Niagara Escarpment lands.
When the BTC was presented with the opportunity to purchase this iconic property, we did not hesitate. Leaning on our sixty years of experience in preserving and caring for the Niagara Escarpment, we knew we had the skilled staff, dedicated volunteers, and ecological experience needed to take on this landmark project.
Bringing this land into the hands of a conservation organization has long been a dream for those who care about the future state of the Beaver Valley.
With your help, we can make it a reality.
Remediation
With decades of restoration experience, the BTC understands landscapes that have been cherished, heavily used and sometimes scarred. We see these places not as lost but as opportunities to rebuild habitat and support the variety of species that depend on the Niagara Escarpment.
What makes this property especially significant is the chance to return previously developed land used for resort activities back to nature, forever. The former ski hill structures, including the abandoned lodges and ski lifts, will be removed and the landscape carefully remediated, allowing the land to heal and once again function as a thriving natural ecosystem.
Make a donation towards the securement, remediation, and restoration of Talisman Forest Nature Reserve today, and your gift will be matched!
Restoration Opportunities
Currently, this property is one of the largest areas in a 10-kilometre stretch along the Beaver Valley’s western slope where there is a break in the forest canopy. Your donation today will help extensively restore these lands and support rehabilitation projects, including large-scale reforestation. Plus, your gift will help cover the costs of stewarding this land into the future.
Forever securing these near-urban lands, the forthcoming restoration of the forest canopy, and BTC’s ongoing conservation efforts will become increasingly important as southern Ontario’s population grows and more local development projects are realized.
Ecological Importance
This property features linear tracts of mature Sugar Maple forest as well as younger tracts of coniferous forest. Forests play an essential role in mitigating climate change by sequestering and storing large amounts of carbon. This habitat is also important to local communities by removing air pollution, protecting water quality, and preventing flooding.
Currently, the property’s ecological services are valued at $211,416 annually. With restoration efforts, this number is expected to increase.
By adding this land to our ribbon of wilderness, together we can:
“We have an exciting opportunity to restore neglected and damaged habitats on this property. These will be some of the most ambitious restoration projects in our organization’s history, helping us fulfill our mission to preserve a ribbon of wilderness, for everyone, forever.”
Adam Brylowski, Director of Conservation and Trail
Trail Connectivity
The Talisman property is crucial for Trail continuity in the area. With your support, we can:
Your gift today will secure 885 metres of Bruce Trail in the Beaver Valley and be matched!
Hiking Note: As we begin remediation and restoration on the property, we kindly remind visitors to stay on the blazed Bruce Trail and not hike, ski or explore the Escarpment slope or buildings at the base of the property for the safety of visitors and the habitats we aim to restore.
Double your impact with a gift today!
The passion, strength and generosity of supporters like you are what make it possible for us to seize this visionary opportunity to save these precious natural lands.
The cost to secure and restore these lands into the future is $7.5 million. Thanks to early support from donors, $1.86 million has already been raised.
Now, the next $1.5 million in donations towards Talisman Forest Nature Reserve will be matched by Environment and Climate Change Canada, meaning your donation will go twice as far!
Your gift today will ensure 134 acres of Niagara Escarpment land will be protected, restored, and stewarded for generations to come.
Donate today to protect and restore Talisman Forest Nature Reserve and your gift will be matched!
Use the form below to make a donation towards the preservation, remediation, and restoration of this land.
