Stewardship
Overview
Protecting and managing tens of thousands of acres is no easy feat and we can’t do it alone. Our approach to stewardship will be achieved through ongoing consultation with our partners and various forms of land-use & licensing agreements with like-minded people and organizations.
Land’escapes currently works with the following groups to help us manage the 33,000 acres that are separate from The Park
Nature Conservancy of Canada
Through the recent land transfer and creation of the Hastings Wildlife Junction, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has become a key partner as we work towards our broader stewardship and conservation goals for the property. Public pedestrian access for these parcels will be developed in the years ahead, as well as exploring potential opportunities for collaboration with Indigenous communities.
Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve
As our forestry experts, Haliburton Forest assists us with the ongoing sustainable forest management activities required for promoting the healthy ecosystems we envision. We are currently assembling a plan to contend with the damage caused by the derecho storm of May 2022 which had significant and widespread effects across the property.
Fish and Wildlife Management
There are currently over 30 hunt license agreements in place across the Land’escapes property, all of which have been established for many years prior to our taking possession of the property. These groups play a key role in managing moose and deer populations on the land while upholding our conservation-first mandate. We have also begun engaging with Indigenous communities in this area in order to learn more about their priorities and interests and facilitate access for traditional uses, hunting and harvesting. There are still numerous lakes to take stock of and guidelines to develop to ensure responsible angling practices on the land. These activities play a key role in our broader conservation management plan which is currently in development.
Please note that we have reached our capacity for hunt license agreements at this time.
The Community
New Land-use Opportunities
- Low-Impact Recreation: In this vast stretch of land there is a lack of non-motorized outdoor recreational opportunities. These kinds of activities help build an appreciation for the outdoors, promote healthy living, and increase our awareness of proven stewardship practices. For example, there are limited cross-country, gravel, and fat biking opportunities in the community, and we are currently exploring partnerships to fill this gap. These licensing agreements will take a similar shape to a recent partnership we facilitated with the Haliburton Highlands Nordic Trail & Ski Club Association for their Moosewoods location.
- Rugged and Remote Accommodations: Skyrocketing cottage prices and limited camping opportunities in Ontario have forced us to imagine a new model for seasonal dwellings. We will be piloting a concept called Highland Basecamps in 2023. Stay tuned for more info.
- Community Projects: We will be facilitating land-use agreements for local nonprofits and educational groups that require access to nature to run their programming activities
This is a ‘living’ project that will continue to evolve as we learn more about the land. Do you have a wild concept that you think aligns with our broader stewardship goals? Get in touch to see if we can make something happen! You can reach out to Mac Thorne at mac@landscapes.org if you have any questions or want to get involved with our projects.
