GLEN ROY — The Township of South Glengarry is turning over 115 acres of forest to the local watershed authority.
The donation to the Raisin Region Conservation Authority (RRCA) involves two sites.
The larger comprises 100 acres in Glen Roy, between Caber Road and County Road 25. The remaining 15 acres is in Lancaster Heights, along the Ontario and Quebec border. Both properties feature a healthy diversity of tree species, including sugar maple, bur oak, black ash, red pine, as well as an endangered tree species: butternut.
“We are pleased to entrust this land to the RRCA for perpetual conservation,” South Glengarry Mayor and RRCA board member Lyle Warden said. “These forests will continue to strengthen our region’s tree cover and provide valuable plant and wildlife habitat.”
Township council voted April 4 to donate the land. The RRCA’s accepted it April 21.
“We are honoured to have been chosen as the steward of these forests,” RRCA Chair and South Glengarry Councillor Martin Lang said. “A strong tree canopy plays an invaluable role in the overall health our watersheds. The RRCA will make sure these two forests are protected and maintained into the future.”
Currently, the RRCA manages and conserves 1,644 acres of environmentally significant land in order to enhance forest cover, conserve sensitive ecological habitat, and provide recreational opportunities to the public. It was also gifted a 100-acre wetland — Lakeview Marsh — by neighbouring South Stormont Township last year.
