Family donates 24 hectares on County’s south shore for conservation

Administrator | Nov 06, 2024 | Comments 2

Hilltop Road, Dacombe property – Patricia Prelich NCC staff photo

A Prince Edward County family has donated 24 hectares of land on the south shore to the Nature Conservancy of Canada for purposes of conservation.

The ecologically significant lands were donated by Ann and Alan Dacombe, to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), which will now care for the land for generations to come.

“After being the guardians of this land for over 50 years, it gives my family and I a sense of peace knowing it will remain undeveloped forever,” said Ann Dacombe.

The property is near to NCC’s MapleCross property, which is similar in habitats and has a well-established and maintained trail, notes Brianne Curry, NCC Communications Manager. “The property is not open to the public at this time, until we have a baseline inventory and property management plan in place. In addition, as an Ecological Gift, this property gets additional priority as a protected space.”

And the local stewards of the County’s south shore are thrilled.

“This is definitely very good news,” said Cheryl Anderson, vice-president of the South Shore Joint Initiative. “The donation of undeveloped land by the Dacombe family adds important shoreline, alvar and forest habitats to the south shore protected areas. South Shore Joint Initiative (SSJI) celebrates this new ecological gift with Nature Conservancy Canada.”

“It has been an honour and a privilege to work with the Dacombe family to make this generous donation happen,” said Mark Stabb, Program Director – Central Ontario East, Nature Conservancy of Canada. “This thoughtful and forward-thinking gift represents a tremendous legacy that benefits the planet and future generations. It is also an important addition to the growing network of conservation lands on the south shore of Prince Edward County.”

Hilltop Road, Dacombe property – Patricia Prelich NCC staff photo

Widely considered a biodiversity hot spot of global significance, this area features shoreline on Lake Ontario that is important for migratory birds and butterflies to stop, feed and rest. The property also supports various turtle and bat species thanks to its unique and varied habitats.

“Now part of a larger connected network of protected lands and waters on the eastern Lake Ontario coast, these conservation lands help to create a resilient landscape,” Curry adds. “The Blanding’s turtle, a species found on the property and listed as Threatened on the Species at Risk Act (SARA) is better able to move freely between feeding, breeding and wintering areas across this landscape, aiding in the species’ recovery.”

Curry notes this conservation project was made possible by the generosity of the Dacombe family as well as private donors and foundations. The property was donated to the Nature Conservancy of Canada under the Government of Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program. This program provides enhanced tax incentives for individuals or corporations who donate ecologically significant land.

“This project showcases how NCC is accelerating the pace of conservation in Canada. Over the next few years, the organization will double its impact by mobilizing Canadians and delivering permanent, large-scale conservation. In the face of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change, nature is our ally. There is no solution to either without nature conservation. When nature thrives, we all thrive.”

The County’s South Shore Joint Initiative is a volunteer-run Canadian non-profit charitable organization with a vision to permanently protect Prince Edward County’s South Shore. Click here for more information about coming events and projects.