By Emily Stonehouse
A new opportunity has emerged for the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust, and they have until the end of the year to make it happen.
The not-for-profit, which focuses on conservation, education, and community outreach surrounding the natural environment in the Highlands, has recently been offered a vital habitat in Haliburton with the purpose of preservation, protection, and research.
“We’ve never done this sort of thing before, it’s our first purchase,” said Sheila Ziman, the director of the organization, and one of its founding members, “But we thought to ourselves that the time is right.”
The undeveloped 100-acre property, known as the Hadlington property, belonged to a landowner who was eager to advocate for the health and well-being of the land. The parcel of land falls within the Highlands Corridor, which, as Ziman explained, is like a “puzzle” of interwoven private properties with Crown Land. The Hadlington property is currently surrounded by Crown Land on three sides of the property.
This is one of the features that makes the location desirable for the Land Trust. One of the many.
It was identified as a significant property by the Land Trust’s biologist, Paul Heaven, noting 3.5 kilometres of natural shoreline, as well as 28 acres of wetlands, a rock barren habitat, and a high occurrence of species at risk, including the elusive Blanding’s turtle.
The property seems ideal, but in order to attain the land, the Land Trust needs to raise $75,000 by the end of the year.
Ziman noted that they have received funding from both the federal and provincial governments, which puts a dent in the $310,000 purchase price of the Hadlington property, but they are looking to the community to help with the remainder.
“There are two prongs of fundraising,” said Ziman. “One is through our online auction, and the other is a land acquisition fund, which is so heartwarming and wonderful to see. We just launched that and have already raised $14,000 there.”
For the auction portion of fundraising, the online forum will go live on Nov. 17, and will stay open for bids until Dec. 8. “There are fabulous prizes,” said Ziman. “A great combination of gifts for the holidays, as well as experiences. Things you need to dust, and things you don’t!”
Some of these prizes include guided hikes, movie tickets, dinners out, and Toronto Raptors tickets, to name a few.
Ziman hopes that by including the community in the fundraising process, it will allow for a sense of ownership over the property; which, upon the hopeful future sale, will be available for the community to experience, learn, and explore.
For more information on the Land Trust, and to support the Hadlington property, visit www.haliburtonlandtrust.ca.
