Alan and Ann Dacombe have donated 24 hectares along the South Shore to the Nature Conservancy of Canada. The organization ensures environmental stewardship and protection against development.

Mark Stabb, Program Director of the Central Ontario East NCC, lauded the donation as “thoughtful and forward-thinking.”

“It is an important addition to the growing network of conservation lands on the south shore of Prince Edward County.” 

The South Shore, 15,000 inland acres and 54,000 along the shore, boasts globally significant, biodiverse, and rare communities. It also includes the last undeveloped stretch of public land on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario. 

NCC is a private, non-profit organization that acquires undeveloped land to restore and manage. Its team of staff, board members, and volunteers already steward two parcels on the South Shore, the Hudgin-Rose and MapleCross reserves.

The Dacombe donation was made through the federal government’s Ecological Gifts Program, which provides a tax benefit to individuals or corporations who donate land to a qualified recipient. Over almost 30 years, the program has amassed 248,000 hectares of protected habitats. 

One condition is that the lands be protected in perpetuity, an incentive for ecologically-minded landowners. 

“As the guardians of this land for over 50 years, it gives us a sense of peace knowing it will remain undeveloped forever,” said Ann Dacombe. 

The program also specifies that donated lands be certified “ecologically sensitive,” a criterion the South Shore easily meets. 

The area is a migratory path for many birds and butterflies including the at-risk monarch butterfly, which  also uses the area for breeding. 

Another at-risk species is the Blanding’s turtle. “A major threat to the Blanding’s turtle is traffic and road development,” Mr. Stabb says. “Protection of the core habitat will help them move around freely.”

Wildlife conservation mitigates the risks of climate change for humans as well. “Protected lands buffer water level changes,” says Mr. Stabb. The South Shore Joint Initiative, dedicated to its conservation, stresses the importance of undeveloped land for carbon capture.

“We are hoping to work with the community to have long-term protected space on the South Shore to sustain ecosystems well into the future,” says Mr. Stabb. 

“The global and national goal is to protect 30% of lands and waters. Right now, 4% of Prince Edward County is protected by Provincial parks and wildlife reserves. There’s a long way to go, so lots of work to do.”

Mr. Stabb lauds the “great network” of conservation groups working on the South Shore, including the South Shore Joint Initiative, Hasting Prince Edward Land Trust, and familes like the Dacombes. NCC and SJI are working with the province on conservation plans. 

While it’s too early to say whether NCC will open the land to the public, the MapleCross reserve has a trail leading down to the South Shore where biodiversity is in full view.