Our Focus Properties for Restoration

This 195-acre parcel has had close to 120 acres seeded and planted with the precise species and spacing needed for this unique ecosystem.

Other ecological features include: 

 

• Directly south of the protected Ganaraska Forest.

• ​Part of the Ganaraska Forest West of Carmel and the Garden Pitted Outwash Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI).

• Identified under the Ontario Clean Water Act as a Highly Vulnerable Aquifer and a Significant Groundwater Recharge Area.

• One provincially significant wetland and three other unevaluated wetlands.

• Cold water stream with a well-vegetated riparian zone.

• Dry, glacial sands suitable for restoration of the pine-oak savanna community.

• Located in a target area for the Kirtland's Warbler project, which is within their historic range and has the specific dry, glacial sands soils needed for the restoration of the pine-oak savanna habitat required by this species.

This 98.1-acre property is located less than 250 meters east of the 195-acre MapleCross Featherstone Nature Reserve, offering an excellent opportunity for large-scale restoration due to its location, size, land use, and soil type. 

​

Other key ecological features include:

• Adjacent to the Oak Ridges Moraine, Ganaraska Forest and Richardson’s Lookout.

• Contains a provincially significant wetland, cold water stream, significant groundwater recharge area, and highly vulnerable aquifer system.

• Includes the Garden Hill Pitted Outwash Earth Science Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI).

• Suitable open fields for pine-oak habitat restoration.

• Features Dundonald Sandy Loam and Brighton Sandy Loam soils ideal for habitat restoration.

• Hosts indicator species of  grassland remnants.

• Stone foundations from old building remains provide potential habitat for Eastern Milksnake and other species.

The purchase of this 94-acre property marks the third acquisition supporting the Ontario Kirtland's Warbler Restoration Initiative.  Located just over 1 km south of the 195-acre MapleCross Featherstone Nature Reserve and the 98-acre MapleCross Hillcrest Nature Reserve this property adds another critical piece to the region’s growing restoration landscape. Proximity, soil composition, and scale make it a strategic addition to this large-scale initiative.

​​

Other key ecological features include:

• Sandy soils essential for this specialized restoration work

• Over half of the property ranked high for suitability through Fleming College’s Kirtland's Warbler Habitat Suitability mapping.

• Inclusion of the Garden Hill Pitted Outwash Earth Science Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI)

• A significant kame—formed by the same glacial processes that created the Moraine

• Significant Groundwater Recharge Area