NCC expands holdings on Loughborough Lake

Jeff Green | Jun 07, 2017

Nature Conservancy of Canada expands holdings on shore of Loughborough Lake.

In recognition of World Environment Day, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC)  announced on Monday that it has acquired additional lands in the Frontenac Arch. Among the 6 properties that have been acquired,  4 are located on or near Loughborough Lake in the vicinity of Battersea, and the other two are on Charleston Lake.

The new acquisitions, which will preserve the lands in an undeveloped state, expand the stock of protected lands in the Frontenac Arch, the southernmost extension of the Canadian Shield, stretching from the Algonquin Highlands of Ontario to the Adirondack Mountains of New York.

The new Loughborough Lake properties are part of a large amount of property, over 4,000 acres, on the eastern shore of the lake, that the conservancy has acquired since 2008, including over 6 kilometres of shoreline.

In a release on Monday (June 5), announcing the acquisitions in conjunction with World Environment Day,  the NCC described the Frontenac Arch habitat as  “rich in reptile, plant and bird species, one of the most biologically diverse areas in Ontario. The Arch serves as a natural wildlife passage, linking the Adirondacks in the United States to the forests of the Algonquin Highlands in Canada. The lands also provide homes for several species at risk, including peregrine falcon (anatum subspecies) (special concern), gray ratsnake (Great Lakes / St. Lawrence population) (threatened), Blanding’s turtle (endangered) and eastern milksnake (special concern).

These conservation projects were supported by funding from the Government of Canada through the Natural Areas Conservation Program, which was matched by contributions from individuals, foundations, cottagers’ associations and corporations.
The NCC  has now protected 1,895 hectares (4,684 acres) in the Frontenac Arch. NCC is currently raising funds to acquire additional key properties in the Arch.

“The Frontenac Arch is a beautiful and unique region of Ontario, and it’s critical that we strive to conserve its biodiversity, not just for wildlife, but for the benefit of current and future generations,” said James Duncan, NCC’s regional vice-president, Ontario.

The NCC holdings complement other protected properties in Frontenac County and Addington Highlands, including: Frontenac Park, lands surrounding Elbow and Opinicon Lakes, Meisel Woods on Crow Lake, and Frontenac Parklands and Bon Echo Park to the north and west.  One of the much anticipated outcomes of the Algonquin Land Claim will be the creation of a large new protected Provincial Wilderness Park surrounding Crotch Lake in North Frontenac, to be managed by the Alqonquins of Ontario.