Resilient Relationships
Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust
www.oakridgesmoraine.org
$32,000
Grant Stream: Resilient Greenbelt
Grant Approved: June 24, 2019
The Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust is providing long-term protection and stewardship of key natural heritage and agriculture lands across the Oak Ridges Moraine and surrounding Greenbelt lands. They are doing this by building relationships with agricultural and rural landowners, in areas identified in existing land securement strategies and targeted for protection. The project focuses primarily in the regions of York, Peel, and Simcoe County, and takes a 'cores and corridor' approach in order to protect and grow the ecological connectivity and biodiversity in the area. The project will result in minimized fragmentation of natural areas, protected connectivity corridors, reduce water pollution, maintain and improve soil health, and improve ecological resilience.
To accomplish this goal, the Trust is enhancing its relationship with residents that have existing protections on their land, identifying feasible ecological and agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs), and exploring opportunities to support implementation of stewardship initiatives. To protect additional lands, the Trust is focusing on priority areas, identified in their Natural Heritage Strategy (NHS). They are developing relationships with landowners, and directing their outreach and education activities to those areas by hosting nature walks and organized property visits.
The Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust is providing long-term protection and stewardship of key natural heritage and agricultural lands across the Oak Ridges Moraine and surrounding Greenbelt landscape.
Land donation processes are expected to begin with at least three landowners by the end of 2020 and twelve files initiated for potential future land-protection projects.