GBA 2021 - Summer Update

5 www.georgianbay.ca GBA UPDATE Summer 2021 land trust protects 64 properties, totalling 7,558 acres, stretching from Port Severn to the North Channel. Each of these places represents something unique in the ecology of Georgian Bay. They include old-growth forest and provincially significant wetlands, wave-blasted islands and calm vernal pools. Some welcome birdwatchers and picnickers, while others provide overwintering habitat for turtles, gestation sites for massasauga rattlesnakes, and stopover locations for migrating monarchs. Together, they form a network that strengthens our entire ecosystem by maintaining travel corridors and connections for species large and small. As the land trust has grown, so has GBLT’s commitment to treating the land well, giving back to the community, and advancing conservation. One of the ways to accomplish this is by supporting conservation science. The GBLT first welcomed researchers from McMaster University to study the wetlands and fish habitat at the Oldfield Lake Reserve in 2005. Since then, GBLT has collaborated with several universities and environmental organizations studying everything from turtle habitat to bat populations. Most recently, GBLT has become an active partner in the Motus wildlife tracking program, which contributes data to scientific studies around the world. GBLT now has local accommodations for visiting scientists, which will dramatically expand the possibilities for research on Georgian Bay. Since our early days, the GBLT community has grown to include more than 1,500 volunteers, donors, partners, and staff with a shared passion for Georgian Bay. Many more people visit and enjoy our protected places each year. We are so grateful for the contributions of every one of these people who have made Georgian Bay what it is today. The GBLT’s vision is “an eastern Georgian Bay and North Channel whose islands, shores, and inland watersheds are connected and strengthened by a network of protected natural lands and habitats, where native species thrive and people interact with the natural world.” How fortunate we are to live and work in a place where the GBLT’s vision is unfolding. Eastern Georgian Bay remains a sanctuary for many animal species whose populations are threatened elsewhere, and the network of natural areas is stronger than ever. The GBLT’s task for 30 years has been to ensure that it remains this way. This work is needed as urgently now as it was when the trust first began. Thank you to everyone whose vision, passion, and generosity has brought us this far, and to all who will join us in the years to come. We look forward to seeing and working with you on the Bay this summer and in the years to come! Installing a Motus tower on Blackstone Lake. Rose Island Nature Reserve, protected 2020. Photo: Doug Cochrane