The Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC) in Canada is receiving a $5.5m grant from the Weston Family Foundation.
The grant will support critical work related to securing and restoring sensitive ecosystems across the Bruce Trail Conservation Corridor and initiatives that will foster engagement between Ontario communities and the only free recreational resource that runs along the Niagara Escarpment, the Bruce Trail.
The grant, which will be administered over the course of three years, includes support for three priority areas of the BTC’s work.
Funds will support the permanent protection of an additional 500 hectares (1,235 acres) of the most vulnerable Niagara Escarpment land and secure approximately 14 kilometres of the iconic Bruce Trail.
For each newly protected natural area, funds will be directed toward its long-term ecological health, including three-season inventories by BTC ecologists that will determine stewardship and habitat restoration projects specific to the needs of each area. Funding will also support restoration projects at new and existing properties along the Bruce Trail which may include the creation of meadow habitats, reforestation, invasive species mitigation and watershed management.
A portion of the funding will be dedicated to inspiring more people to explore, experience and appreciate the Niagara Escarpment through the Bruce Trail in Your Community initiative. This will include on-trail events, outreach programming, and engagement with local municipalities and landowners.
“As one of Ontario’s largest land trusts, the Bruce Trail Conservancy is a vital and trusted partner in conservation, restoration, and management of land along the Niagara Escarpment UNESCO World Biosphere. The Weston Family Foundation is proud to support this vital landscape working to mitigate climate change. Home to roughly one-quarter of Canada’s threatened and endangered species, the Bruce Trail Conservancy protects a diverse array of highly threatened habitats including wetlands, caves, and lush forests, within the Niagara Escarpment corridor.” said Garfield Mitchell, chair of the Weston Family Foundation.
The grant builds on one of the Weston Family Foundation’s philanthropic priorities, to restore and protect biodiversity across Canadian landscapes. The Foundation has previously supported the BTC’s Tallgrass Prairie & Meadow restorations across the Dufferin Hi-Land, Beaver Valley and Blue Mountains Club sections of the Bruce Trail.
“The outstanding generosity of the Weston Family Foundation is helping us piece together threatened land and permanently protect a natural corridor along the Niagara Escarpment containing the Bruce Trail,” said Marsha Russell, vice president of fund development for the BTC.
“It is a meaningful investment in the wellbeing of communities across the province and the natural legacy we all share.”
The Bruce Trail is Canada’s oldest and longest marked footpath and the only contiguous route to traverse the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere and one of the most biodiverse regions in North America. For over 60 years the Bruce Trail Conservancy has been working to preserve sensitive Niagara Escarpment lands, while making them accessible for the people of Ontario by way of the Bruce Trail. With over 300 access points along its 1,300 kilometres of main and side trails, the Bruce Trail is less than an hour’s drive for more than 8m Ontarians.
“The Bruce Trail Conservancy preserves the Niagara Escarpment both for the benefit of nature itself and for the people of Ontario,” said Michael McDonald, chief executive officer of the BTC.
“We are deeply grateful to the Weston Family Foundation for helping us preserve and expand it and provide a world-class hiking experience for those who live here now and who will explore and cherish it for generations to come.”
