More Information

Land’escapes has recently purchased the 65,000+ acres formerly owned by The ForestLand Group, commonly referred to as the Domtar Lands. This property is large, and there have been numerous groups and individuals using the land historically as well as thousands of neighbours. We’re looking forward to getting to know everyone in due time, but given the multitude of people connected in some way to this land, this could take awhile.

We have set up this page as a resource to find more information about us and our plans for the property.

We hope to be as transparent as possible and welcome anyone to approach us directly with questions or concerns. We hope to make our relationship with this community a positive one.

Some background.

The lands we have purchased have been previously used for industrial timber operations and hunting clubs. Our intention with the property is to establish a new, conservation first organization called Land’escapes. We are doing a number of restoration and conservation initiatives. We hope to engage individuals, organizations and communities to establish a mosaic of low-impact recreation, research and academic partners to help mobilize our conservation initiatives and connect people with nature.

Leases, permits and agreements.

Anyone who has been previously using the property through means of a license or agreement, we hope to work with those people to find a way to continue their usage. We are already working with the existing hunt clubs to find a way to fit their activities into our own. We know that the hunters have been the stewards of this land for generations, and we hope for that to continue and that we may learn from them.

Neighbours.

We hope to be quiet, easy neighbours. We’re shutting down most logging operations and running much quieter outdoor recreation and education activities. Chances are very good that most of our community members and neighbours have not been impacted by previous activities, and they have not been using the land.

 
If you have been previously accessing the land, you may notice that we are taking some security measures to end public access. In order for us to meet our conservation and restoration goals, we will need to take measures to prevent trespassing. While we know that most users were probably acting respectfully on the property, with open access to the public it becomes difficult to maintain wild spaces and hold those who do cause damages accountable. Therefore we will no longer allow any public access. If you want to use the property, we urge you to contact us and learn about some options, including the programs we have offered on our website.

Community.

We are a new organization and we are thrilled to join the communities of Hastings, Haliburton and the Kawarthas. We are excited to collaborate with our local communities and develop ways to engage people on the land. If you are interested in what we are doing or want to work with us, we would be eager to hear from you.
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