PHOTO COURTESY OF NATURE CONSERVANCY OF CANADA
Over 18 km, or 11 miles, of shoreline on Manitoulin Island has been acquired by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), thanks to private donor funding and funding from the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, Lafarge and Manitoulin Transport, and help from the Ontario government through the Greenlands Conservation Partnership, in addition to funding provided by the Government of Canada’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program.
The $16 million Vidal Bay Forests and Shoreline project marks one of the largest, single-property purchases in Ontario, and connects with adjacent conservation lands to form the largest protected area of its kind south of the Canadian Shield in Ontario.
“Opportunities to protect large, intact natural spaces in Ontario, like those found at Vidal Bay, are incredibly rare. The conservation of Vidal Bay not only protects habitat for the animals and plants that depend on it, but its forest and wetlands also clean our water and air while providing a place for people to connect to nature now and for generations to come,” says Esme Batten, NCC Midwestern Ontario program director.
Hailed as an incredible conservation achievement, the Vidal Bay protected area provides local species with an uninterrupted habitat to help them thrive, while preserving this beautiful area for future generations.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada recognizes the historic and ongoing role of Indigenous Peoples on these lands, looking to work together to ensure these natural lands can continue to support the people with whom they are intertwined. Manitoulin Island is the Territory of Zhiibaahaasing First Nation, Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, M’Chigeeng First Nation, Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation, Sheguiandah First Nation, Sheshegwaning First Nation and Whitefish River First Nation.
To learn more, visit natureconservancy.ca.
