Nature Conservancy of Canada needs help purchasing critical grassland bird habitat on Carden Alvar

Orillia, ON – The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) needs $69,000 to complete the Little Bluestem Alvar project, located adjacent to NCC’s Prairie Smoke Nature Reserve on the Carden Alvar. Successful fundraising will see a 1330-acre (538-hectare) nature reserve created within one of Ontario’s rarest landscapes, supporting critical habitat for declining grassland bird populations and other at risk species.

The 2009 State of the Birds Report by U.S. conservation groups including Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, reports dramatic declines in grassland and aridland birds due to alarming degradation of their habitat. Grassland birds have shown steeper, more geographically widespread and consistent decline than any other category of North American species.

Carden Alvar is an outstanding example of globally threatened alvar habitat. Alvars are naturally open habitats with either a thin covering of soil or no soil over a base of limestone or dolostone. Carden Alvar supports more than 230 bird, 450 plant, 75 butterfly and 67 dragonfly species. Under long-term care by NCC and partners, Carden Alvar is fast becoming a model for alvar management in North America.

“If NCC is successful in raising the remaining $69,000 from community supporters, we will be able to apply for dollars from our government programs,” says Erica Thompson, NCC’s Georgian Bay Huronia Program Manager. As part of its agreements with the Government of Canada under the Natural Areas Conservation Program and with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resource under the Greenlands program, NCC must raise matching funds through private donations for land conservation projects.

NCC is asking Ontarians to help protect this priority habitat by providing the much needed long-term management funds for this project. To help NCC meet this challenge and leave a natural legacy for future generations, please contact NCC’s Ria Nicholson at 1-800-465-0029, extension 235, or via email at ria.nicholson@natureconservancy.ca.

• The Government of Canada’s Natural Areas Conservation Program is a $225 million investment to assist non-profit, non-government organizations to secure ecologically sensitive lands to ensure the conservation of our diverse ecosystems, wildlife, and habitat. The Nature Conservancy of Canada has been entrusted to lead the program and has committed to raising matching funds for each federal dollar received.
• The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources’ Greenlands Program includes direct securement of properties through the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). The Nature Conservancy of Canada is committed to raising matching funds for each provincial dollar received.
• The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is Canada’s leading land conservation organization.  Since 1962, NCC has helped to protect more than 2 million acres (800,000 hectares) of ecologically significant   land nationwide.

For more information please visit www.natureconservancy.ca/ontario.

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Contacts:

Erica Thompson
Program Manager – Georgian Bay – Huronia
Tel: 705-888-2316
Email: erica.thompson@natureconservancy.ca

Ria Nicholson
Major Gifts Officer – Georgian Bay – Huronia
Tel: 1-800-465-0029, ext. 235
Email: ria.nicholson@natureconservancy.ca