Four properties. Endless opportunities to spend time in nature.
Thank you for creating four new protected natural areas along the Niagara Escarpment!
The Bruce Trail Conservancy is thrilled to announce that 123 acres of land and over 3.2 kilometres of Trail have been permanently protected.
In 2024 alone, hikers and nature lovers spent 1.4 million hours exploring the 1,375 kilometres of the Bruce Trail. That’s 1.4 million hours spent connecting with the natural world and each other, thanks to the Bruce Trail.
But the Bruce Trail is more than a footpath. The conservation corridor surrounding it safeguards vulnerable Niagara Escarpment ecosystems, builds climate-change resilience, and protects biodiversity. Every acre preserved makes a difference for wildlife and creates lasting, positive change for our planet.
We are making remarkable progress in securing more of this irreplaceable land each year. As of 2025, we are 72.1 percent of the way to forever preserving a ribbon of wilderness, for everyone, forever.
Most recently, thanks to the generosity of Bruce Trail Conservancy donors, four newly protected natural areas, have been added to our growing conservation corridor.
Because of our supporters, these lands will be protected and cared for forever.
Stillwater Nature Reserve
Toronto section
38 acres of Niagara Escarpment land
1.2 kilometres of Bruce Trail Optimum Route
Located just north of Limehouse Conservation Area, the Stillwater Nature Reserve sits adjacent to the recently secured MapleCross Nature Reserve at Limestone Roost. This ecologically valuable property features:
- Deciduous woodlands, habitat for migrating birds
- A significant amount of thriving wetland, crucial for carbon sequestration
- Vernal pools, habitat for at-risk species, including the Jefferson Salamander
This nature reserve is one of the final pieces of land to secure between Limehouse and Highway 7, which will soon be a continuous corridor. By protecting this land, we have ensured that the Trail stays off the busy road, allowing people to connect with nature in this near-urban area for generations to come.
Hover or tap the image to view the map!
Greenrise Run (expansion)
Blue Mountains section
22 acres of Niagara Escarpment land
604 metres of Bruce Trail Optimum Route
The Bruce Trail secured the Duntroon Crevice Heights Nature Reserve to the north of this property in 2014, followed by Greenrise Run to the south in early 2025. This new Greenrise Run (expansion) property is the final piece of the puzzle that ensures 1.5 kilometres of Bruce Trail is not at risk of going on nearby roads.
The Bruce Trail on this protected natural area weaves through deciduous forest, spotted with mossy escarpment boulders, before following a stream with Cattails along the edge of a farm field. The Trail then heads back into the woods, where it meets the original Greenrise Run property.
On the property, BTC ecologists have encountered many species, including American Woodcock, Downy Woodpecker, Song Sparrow, and Blue Jay. They have also come across a curious porcupine (photo above) that depends on ecological corridors like these to thrive.
Hover or tap the image to view the map!
Fieldview Connection (expansion)
Sydenham section
26 acres of Niagara Escarpment land
600 metres of Bruce Trail Optimum Route
Adjacent to the Fieldview Connection property secured in 2024, Fieldview Connection (expansion) is an important connector for the Bruce Trail’s continuity. Though the property has a significant amount of hayfield, the Sugar Maple forest on the west side provides habitat for wildlife moving through the area. Meadow and thicket located between the field and the forest are brimming with wildflowers that provide important feeding sources for native pollinators such as butterflies, moths and bees.
Although this is a small property, it is vital in a string of properties in this area to connect our wildlife corridor and remove a long stretch of Trail off the busy roads. This is an important piece of the puzzle that allows nature to thrive and will connect generations of hikers to nature.
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Flyby Timbers
Sydenham section
37 acres of Niagara Escarpment land
843 metres of Bruce Trail Optimum Route
This property gets its name from the adjacent Wiarton Airport. Featuring over half a kilometre of Bruce Trail, Flyby Timbers consists of a conifer plantation, mature Sugar Maple forest, and open wildflower meadows. The plantation offers ample opportunity for restoration projects, while the Sugar Maple forest and meadows provide a natural oasis for local wildlife near the bustling town of Wiarton.
BTC staff have already encountered thriving wildlife here, including an inquisitive grouse that has been known to join hikers on their walk in the woods.
This property is crucial for Trail continuity in this northern section of Trail, and provides more space to explore, which is especially important in the summer months when the Trail in this area can be particularly busy.
Hover or tap the image to view the map!
Thank you to the over 1,500 supporters who made a donation towards protecting and caring for these Niagara Escarpment lands.
Because of you, 123 acres have been added to our conservation corridor, and generations to come will have access to nature via the Bruce Trail.
Stewardship into the future
A portion of the proceeds donated towards securing these lands has been directed towards stewarding them into the future. This includes annual property assessments conducted by BTC ecologists, bird surveys, invasive species removal, native species plantings, as well as other restoration projects. The aim is to improve biodiversity and build climate change resilience along the Niagara Escarpment.
Connecting the Bruce Trail
All four of these properties are crucial to Trail connectivity and play an important role in keeping the Bruce Trail off of busy roads. While we remain grateful to all of our landowners who have allowed the Trail to cross their property through handshake agreements, permanently securing these lands ensures that the Trail remains along the Niagara Escarpment for generations to come, allowing Ontarians and visitors alike to continue to connect with nature.
