News

Welcome to the Georgian Bay Land Trust, Andrew Young!

Posted on January 14, 2025

We’re delighted to welcome Andrew Young as the new Executive Director of the Georgian Bay Land Trust! Andrew is a skilled non-profit leader with a lifelong passion for the outdoors. He comes to us after five years as Executive Director of Outward Bound Canada, a charity that focuses on empowering youth through outdoor adventure. Previously, he served as a Vice President of Diabetes Canada, and in earlier roles including advocacy work for at-risk communities, outdoor education, and camping programs for youth with complex mental and physical health challenges. Andrew lives in Toronto with his wife Sarah and their three daughters,…

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Happy Retirement Bill!

Posted on January 3, 2025

It’s time for us to say a fond farewell and heartfelt thank you to Bill Lougheed as he finishes his final day as Executive Director of the Georgian Bay Land Trust. For the past 11 years, Bill has led the Land Trust with passion, optimism, and an unmatched work ethic. He has left us in a strong and growing position moving into the future, and has created a remarkable legacy for the wilderness of Georgian Bay. During his time with the Land Trust, Bill worked closely with hundreds of landowners and funding partners to create 42 new conservation reserves totalling…

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Appointment Announcement: Incoming Executive Director, Andrew Young

Posted on November 1, 2024

Following an extensive search process, The Georgian Bay Land Trust Board is thrilled to announce that Andrew Young will be joining us as our new Executive Director effective January 6, 2025. Andrew comes to us from Outward Bound Canada where he has served as Executive Director since 2019.Andrew successfully led the strategic and operational management of Outward Bound, a globally federated education charity serving young people from communities coast to coast, with accomplishments including diversified funding and successfully navigating the pandemic. Andrew also has experience with government at the federal and provincial level, including a wide range of community organizations and stakeholders….

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The Corridor Project: Southern Corridor Protected

Posted on June 20, 2024

The Corridor Project: Protecting 32,900 acres of wilderness and counting We are thrilled to announce a major milestone in protecting Georgian Bay’s irreplaceable wilderness for everyone. The Georgian Bay Land Trust and the Township of Georgian Bay have signed an agreement to conserve a network of land stretching from Honey Harbour to Twelve Mile Bay, directly conserving 553 acres of municipal land and providing additional protection to 32,900 acres of crown forests and wetlands. This is just the start of the Land Trust’s ongoing Corridor Project, whose goal is to secure our region’s ecological integrity and protect public access to…

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Bill’s Retirement

Posted on May 29, 2024

After 11 years leading the Georgian Bay Land Trust, our Executive Director Bill Lougheed is preparing to retire at the end of this year. Bill’s passion and energy have driven the Land Trust forward in enormous ways since 2013, and he leaves very big shoes to fill. We are beginning the search for his successor – stay tuned for a job post to come next week, and please spread the word to anyone you know who may be interested. Please join us in thanking Bill when you see him on the Bay this summer – he’ll be as busy as ever!

King Family Bursary Winner: Amelia Stea MacLaurin

Posted on April 29, 2024

We’re delighted to announce the 2024 winner of the King Family Bursary, Amelia Stea MacLaurin. Congratulations Amelia! Amelia Stea MacLaurin is a Toronto based artist. Her background is in environmental design and she currently works in community arts. Her work is focused on the intersection of community, honest documentation, and archivism. Amelia works primarily in paint and photography, and is a collector of images, shooting with both film and digital photography. As an avid camper and canoer, she has spent a lot of time over the last dozen years tripping along the Georgian Bay and surrounding areas.   Amelia will…

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Remembering Wally King

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Last month, the Georgian Bay Land Trust marked the end of an era with the passing of our founder, Wally King. Wally was a tremendous force on Georgian Bay. A financial professional by trade, Wally was a people person who thrived on connecting his networks and making things happen. Much of his passion and energies were directed towards his cottage in Sans Souci and the Georgian Bay community. Many of Georgian Bay’s current organizations and institutions were shaped by Wally’s vision and work. He served as President of both the Sans Souci & Copperhead Association and the Georgian Bay Association,…

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MPP Graydon Smith joins us to celebrate grant from Ontario Trillium Foundation

Posted on April 15, 2024

On Friday, Parry-Sound Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith joined us to celebrate a $349,900 grow grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation that was used to accelerate the conservation of ecologically significant lands, forests, and wetlands in the Georgian Bay area. The Georgian Bay Land Trust has just completed work on the grant, which was awarded to us in 2020. The Land Trust used the grant funds in part to conduct strategic ecosystem mapping to identify the most important lands for environmental protection, and conduct outreach to priority landowners to inform them of the significance of their land and the conservation options available…

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Board Changes

Posted on July 13, 2023

At last month’s AGM, we welcomed a new Board Chair, said farewell to a long-serving director, and added some new faces to the board. We’re so lucky to have these fantastic volunteers guiding our work to protect Georgian Bay.   Departing Board Chair: Ian Davis These past two years have gone by quickly and smoothly under the leadership of Ian Davis, and it’s hard to believe that it’s already time to bid him farewell as our Board Chair. Ian has been a very supportive chair, trusting the expertise of staff in day to day operations, and providing his own sound…

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King Family Bursary Winner: Katy McNabb

Posted on April 21, 2023

Congratulations to this year’s King Family Bursary winner, Katy McNabb! Katy will be using the bursary funding to produce the second season of her environmental cottaging podcast, Rewind Design. Katy McNabb is a cottage interior designer, and sustainable design advocate, born and raised in the heart of the Thirty Thousand Islands, Parry Sound. Katy earned a degree in interior design at Ryerson University, having studied and worked in New Zealand as a part of her university education. She later worked in the French Alps, but was called home to Georgian Bay in spring of 2020 when presented with the opportunity…

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2022’s new protected properties

Posted on December 19, 2022

Thank you to the generous landowners who protected these beautiful places with us this past year!   The Kennedy Islands – 1.7 acres – Bayfield Inlet Four pretty islands in central Bayfield Inlet will remain forever natural thanks to the generosity of Ross and Ann Kennedy. The Kennedy Islands are classic Georgian Bay rock and pine, beloved not only by humans, but birds, turtles, and snakes as well. They are surrounded by fifty other islands as part of a relatively undisturbed archipelago, providing ample opportunity for local migration. The Bayfield community at large is home to a wide variety of…

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Aaron and Eleanor set a new Big Day record

Posted on May 25, 2022

On Saturday, May 21st, Georgian Bay Land Trust staff Aaron Rusak and Eleanor Proctor embarked on a Big Day to fundraise for bird conservation and attempt to break the record of 127 species. (A “Big Day” is an attempt by birdwatchers to spot as many bird species as possible within a single 24-hour period in a defined geographic area. Aaron and Eleanor’s Big Day was within the District of Muskoka, which covers Georgian Bay from Port Severn to Twelve Mile Bay, most of the Muskoka Lakes, Huntsville, and Lake of Bays.) Along the way, Aaron and Eleanor stopped at several…

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King Family Bursary Winner: Peter Adams

Posted on March 31, 2022

Peter Adams is an award winning painter born in Glasgow, Scotland. Raised in Toronto, he now lives and works in Collingwood, Ontario. He has a Film degree from Queen’s University, but now focuses all of his creative energy on his visual art practice. Adams has received numerous grants from the Ontario Arts Council and was a finalist in the Salt Spring National Art Prize in 2015. More recently, he was invited to participate in Brazil’s Labverde Arts Immersion Program and was shortlisted for the 2017 Kingston Prize – Canada’s national portrait competition. Much of Peter’s work has been centred around…

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Welcome Aaron Rusak, new Protected Areas Manager

Posted on March 22, 2022

Please join us in welcoming Aaron Rusak as our new Protected Areas Manager! Aaron is taking on the extremely important jobs of managing the Land Trust’s 67 protected properties, coordinating our volunteer stewards and conservation interns, assisting with new land protection projects, and working with partners in conservation science. Before joining the Georgian Bay Land Trust, Aaron worked for over four years as the Muskoka Conservancy’s Land Stewardship Coordinator. He has also been a volunteer with Birds Canada for several years. An avid birder and naturalist, Aaron spends much of his spare time outdoors or in wetlands expanding his knowledge of different…

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Three new conservation properties

Posted on March 12, 2022

Thanks to some generous land donors, three new conservation properties have recently joined the Georgian Bay Land Trust family. We’re delighted to introduce you to Ellie’s Lookout, Portage Preserve, and Saunderson Islands Easement!   Ellie’s Lookout Ellie’s Lookout is a beautiful 0.5 acre island in the Manitou community, near the mouth of Twelve Mile Bay. It is situated in an island chain that provides habitat for a number of at-risk species, including the Five-lined Skink, Northern Map Turtle, and Eastern Foxsnake. Bald Eagles and Monarch Butterflies have been documented visiting the island, and it is likely that other migratory species…

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Happy Retirement Brooks!

Posted on October 21, 2021

After 12 years as our Land Protection Program Manager, Brooks Greer has retired from the Georgian Bay Land Trust. Anyone who has interacted with Brooks during his time at the Land Trust knows what an important role he played in our work and community. His genuine interest in people and enthusiasm for the Georgian Bay environment made him a natural leader of our volunteer property stewards and summer conservation interns, and a fantastic resource for land donors. Brooks was instrumental in the protection of 37 new conservation properties during his tenure, and worked hard behind the scenes at the ongoing…

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30 Years Protecting Nature

Posted on June 20, 2021

Georgian Bay is beloved for its open spaces. Water, rocks, and trees that seem to go on forever have provided generations with places to explore, reflect, and be immersed in nature. This area is environmentally significant too: it’s home to 50 species at risk including the highest diversity of reptiles and amphibians in Canada, contains more islands than any other lake in the world, and is recognized by the United Nations for its unique and important ecology. Thirty years ago, concerns were growing among Georgian Bay residents that this extraordinary environment was at risk of permanent damage. Increasing road development…

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King Family Bursary supports father-daughter paddling documentary

Posted on June 8, 2021

We are delighted to award the 2021 King Family Bursary to Scott Parent, who will create a documentary film about a paddling expedition and environmental journey with his daughter Acadia. Scott Parent is a paddler, photographer, and film maker raised in Pentanguishene and 12 Mile Bay, and now living on the Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula. Scott has lived most of his life on Georgian Bay and worked as a commercial fisherman and paddling guide. In 2011, Scott completed the first solo unassisted stand-up paddleboard crossing of the bay from Lion’s Head to the Western Islands, and on to Sans Souci. In 2015, he and a partner made the crossing in the winter….

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Celebrating two new Conservation Easements

Posted on May 1, 2021

The Georgian Bay Land Trust’s number of Protected Areas continues to grow with properties number sixty-three and sixty-four: the Halpenny Easement in Cognashene and Roberts Island Reserve in Honey Harbour.   Halpenny Easement • 9.9 acres • Cognashene The Halpenny Easement provides habitat for an impressive array of Species at Risk. Property owners Beth and Tom Halpenny have themselves documented five: three snake species, one turtle and one bird. Together with the initial Baseline Study and further surveys conducted by the Georgian Bay Land Trust’s Summer Conservation Interns during summer 2020, fourteen listed species have been positively identified on the Halpenny…

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Rose Island Nature Reserve

Posted on February 9, 2021

286 acres of old-growth forest and wetlands protected on Rose Island New Rose Island Nature Reserve will be place for public and school groups to connect with nature [calltoaction href=”https://www.gblt.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Rose-Island-News-Release-Feb-9-2021.pdf”]Read the News Release here[/calltoaction] We are delighted to announce that 286 acres of old-growth forest and wetlands on Carling Township’s Rose Island are now a permanent nature reserve. The Rose Island Nature Reserve protects the remaining 286 undeveloped acres of the 400-acre Rose Island, which has long been a priority for conservation due to its ecological significance. The island contains some of the last remaining old-growth forest in Southern Ontario,…

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Covid-19 Visitor Guidelines for Georgian Bay Land Trust properties

Posted on June 22, 2020

The Georgian Bay Land Trust’s public-access properties are now OPEN to visitors with new Covid-19 guidelines in place. We’re so happy to be able to welcome you and your family back to enjoy nature in these special places. It is very important that visitors follow all current government guidelines for COVID-19 related behaviour while they are on a Georgian Bay Land Trust property. Updated visitor guidelines are posted on each public-access property – please take some time to read the guidelines below so you are prepared before you arrive. Please also understand that we may be required to restrict the number of visitors to…

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King Family Bursary Winner – Brennan Guse

Posted on May 4, 2020

Congratulations to Brennan Guse, winner of the 2020 King Family Bursary! Brennan is a Master of Landscape Architecture Student with and Undergraduate Degree in Geography, who is always thinking about how to plan for healthy, resilient and inclusive communities. His research focusses on creating a waterfront revitalization strategy for Parry Sound’s post-industrial southern waterfront. As Parry Sound shifts from an industrial economy to a more tourist-based economy, many of the properties along the southern waterfront have become vacant industrial sites. Although the land along the southern waterfront is now zoned as Marine and Resort Residential, there has been little investment in decades due to concerns…

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Connecting with nature from home

Posted on April 25, 2020

Connecting with nature is one of the most valuable recreational activities available to many people right now. Whether you are able to go for walks outdoors*, are enjoying the natural world from your backyard or balcony, or are relying on virtual connections, there are many ways we can stay in touch with the great outdoors during this period. Every two weeks, we will be sharing some new ideas by email, and adding to the cumulative list below. *Please remember that social distancing and responsible behaviour apply even in nature. Don’t go out if you are sick or returning from travel,…

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Remembering John Catto

Posted on February 27, 2020

We are saddened to share with the Georgian Bay community the passing of John Catto, one of the Georgian Bay Land Trust’s leading supporters over the last fifteen years. John was an incredibly kind and generous man, and the Georgian Bay Land Trust was one of the many beneficiaries of his generosity and community service over his lifetime. A lifelong naturalist, John became involved with the Land Trust in 2005 while exploring options for donating part of the land in Pointe au Baril that he shared with his wife Margaret. That property is now the beautiful and beloved West Lookout…

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The Georgian Bay Land Trust welcomes two new Conservation Easements

Posted on December 20, 2019

We’re closing 2019 on a happy note, with two new properties protected forever! Both are protected under conservation easement, meaning that the landowners retain ownership but agree never to develop or otherwise degrade the natural features of their land. Thank you so much to the two generous families who have made this protection possible.   One Bear Island One Bear Island is a small property in the Manitou area of Georgian Bay. In classic Georgian Bay fashion, it contains a variety of habitats – forest, rock barrens, and coastal wetlands – in close proximity, which support a variety of species….

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New funding for species at risk work in Georgian Bay

Posted on September 19, 2019

We’re thrilled to announce that the federal government has committed $1.9 million to species at risk protection efforts in the Georgian Bay area. On September 4th, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna visited Toronto to launch the Community-Nominated Priority Places (CNPP) program, a subset of the Species Stream of Canada’s Nature Fund. Announced in 2018, the Nature Fund is a federal commitment to invest $500 million in land and species protection across Canada over five years. The CNPP program funds collaborative, community-driven projects that will improve outcomes for multiple at-risk species in priority places. Earlier this year,…

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Summer 2019 Photo Contest

Posted on July 5, 2019

Thank you to everyone who entered our Summer 2019 photo contest! This year we wanted to see how you experienced the Georgian Bay Land Trust’s protected properties, and the results were beautiful. Thank you for sharing your special moments with us. Congratulations to the winners:   People & Pets Winner: Tara Pape, The Lizard, Cognashene   Sensational Scenery Winner: Jan Dowling, American Camp, Wah Wah Taysee   Wonderful Wildlife Winner: Tassie Brautigam, The Lizard, Cognashene

Tadenac Conservation Initiative

Posted on April 24, 2019

Tadenac Conservation Initiative: a 5,400-acre sanctuary for nature We are thrilled to announce the Tadenac Conservation Initiative, a 5,400-acre protected area of pristine wilderness south of Twelve Mile Bay. Containing some of the highest biodiversity in the Georgian Bay region, this area provides an important refuge for numerous species and a critical link in coastal habitat corridors. Minister Carolyn Bennett joined us in Toronto today to announce the federal government’s contribution of $967,000 towards this project. This funding is part of the “Quickstart” prelude to Canada’s Nature Fund, a $500 million initiative to fulfill Canada’s commitment to protect 17% of…

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2019 King Family Bursary winners

Posted on April 18, 2019

Congratulations to the 2019 winners of the King Family Bursary: Art Tent and Elora Grahame! We’re excited to follow their projects as they promote knowledge and appreciation of the Georgian Bay environment. Thank you to Wally and Marilyn King for making these projects possible through their funding of the King Family Bursary. We’d also like to thank our volunteer jurors for contributing their time and insights, and all the wonderful applicants who made our choice extremely difficult! Art Tent – Jesse Matas & Kyle Scheurmann “It is an incredible honour to receive the support and encouragement of the Georgian Bay Land Trust in creating…

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Dattels Reserve expanded!

Posted on January 25, 2019

The GBLT is delighted to announce the completion of a 10-year dream with the addition of 5.4 acres to Pointe au Baril’s Dattels Reserve. The reserve now covers an entire 10-acre island in Pointe au Baril’s Hemlock Channel. The Dattels Reserve was first created in 2009, when neighbouring conservationist Jennifer Dattels purchased the eastern side of the undeveloped island and donated it to the GBLT. After waiting for nearly a decade, Jennifer says “my dreams were realized last year when the western half of the island came up for sale, allowing for a further purchase and donation to the GBLT….

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200+ acres protected including Provincially Significant Wetland

Posted on December 12, 2018

We’re delighted to welcome two new Conservation Easement properties to our protected areas. The Ingram Biodiversity Reserve and Estelle’s Reserve protect high quality inland wetlands and other habitat, providing homes to numerous species and strengthening conservation on a regional scale. Conservation Easements are agreements which allow landowners to conserve biodiversity on their properties forever while retaining ownership of the land. Learn more here.   Ingram Biodiversity Reserve Situated in the inland Honey Harbour/Port Severn area, the 92-acre Ingram Biodiversity Reserve is a high priority for conservation due to its significant wetland and rock barren habitats, which provide homes to numerous…

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Congratulations to our 2018 King Family Bursary winners!

Posted on April 20, 2018

This summer, two very deserving recipients will be embarking on projects supported by the GBLT’s King Family Bursary, intended to increase awareness and appreciation of the eastern Georgian Bay and North Channel environment, history, communities, and culture. Congratulations to Sean Tamblyn and Kate Marshall Flaherty! Thank you to our generous bursary funders, Wally and Marilyn King and John Hartman, for making these projects possible. We’d also like to thank our volunteer jurors, Elizabeth King and Alan Stein, for contributing their time and insights, and all the wonderful applicants who made our choice extremely difficult! Sean Tamblyn   “I’m thrilled to receive the King Family Bursary and partner with the…

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GBLT celebrates federal commitment to conservation in Budget 2018

Posted on March 1, 2018

The Government of Canada made a significant commitment to conservation in Tuesday’s federal budget, and Georgian Bay’s natural areas will benefit from it. The $1.3 billion invested over 5 years in nature conservation will include matching funds towards the costs of establishing new protected areas, allowing land trusts across the country to scale up their efforts to protect environmentally significant lands. Bill Lougheed, the Executive Director of the Georgian Bay Land Trust, was part of a coalition of conservation organizations that met with government representatives in Ottawa, including the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna, to advocate for…

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Welcome to three new easements

Posted on January 23, 2018

This past December, the Georgian Bay Land Trust was delighted to welcome three new easements to our roster of protected properties. All three have been donated by individuals who are passionate about the environment, and wish to leave a legacy of conservation on Georgian Bay. Easements are a wonderful way to ensure that the land you love will remain in its natural state in perpetuity, without actually transferring ownership to a conservation organization. Also called Conservation Agreements, they lay out a legal conservation plan for your property, which includes regular monitoring by a qualified organization. The Georgian Bay Land Trust currently…

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Endangered King Rails discovered on GBLT property

Posted on October 11, 2017

Exciting news! We’re delighted to share that endangered King Rails were recently discovered making use of a Georgian Bay Land Trust property. Bird lovers will know that these small marsh birds are extremely rare in Ontario, which is at the far northern end of their range. It is estimated that only 30 breeding pairs are left in the province. King Rails are shy birds, and are more often heard than seen. They make their homes in freshwater and brackish marshes throughout eastern North America, and prefer wetlands bordering large bodies of water where they can hunt for food. The Rail bird…

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Protecting Algonquin Wolf Habitat: McGregor Bay – La Cloche Mountains

Posted on September 12, 2017

The Georgian Bay Land Trust is delighted to welcome McGregor Bay – La Cloche Mountains as our newest and second most northern protected property. Located just west of Killarney Provincial Park, the property consists of a larger mainland portion and a small island, both containing high quality habitat for eight confirmed at-risk species, including Bald Eagle, Monarch Butterfly, and Northern Map Turtle. We were particularly excited to discover fresh Algonquin Wolf prints on a visit to the property this past August, a rare species sighting on the Bay. The largely undeveloped nature of the Killarney area makes it one of the few places…

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Introducing Cognashene’s Thompson Portage Island Reserve

Posted on July 20, 2017

Cognashene’s turtles, fish, birds and more have a permanent place to call home at the newly protected Thompson Portage Island Reserve. Donated to the Georgian Bay Land Trust by Rob and Val Thompson, this 5 acre property contains a variety of key habitats for local species. A long shoreline on a sheltered bay means this property is home to high quality wetlands where at-risk species like the Northern Map Turtle thrive. Mixed deciduous and coniferous forest and shrubbed rock barrens round out the property, allowing many species to easily travel between the different habitat types they need throughout their life…

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We’re Moving!

Posted on June 20, 2017

The Georgian Bay Land Trust is relocating our Toronto office space. You can now find us at: Georgian Bay Land Trust 120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 1000 Toronto, ON  M4P 1E2 Please update our mailing address in your records – all other contact information remains the same.

Georgian Bay Skies Photo Contest

Posted on May 31, 2017

Thank you to everyone who submitted photos! We received over 350 incredible images, and had a very hard time choosing the winners. Congratulations to the winning photographers: The Georgian Bay Skies poster was unveiled at Bayscapes on November 24th. Copies are now available at the GBLT office, or by mail. Please contact Sarah at sarah.koetsier@gblt.org or (416) 440-1519 x102 to order your copy.   Capture your best photo of a Georgian Bay sky and enter our photo contest! Photos should feature the sky but can contain other elements (trees, rocks, water, etc.) Be creative! We love sunsets, but there is so much…

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Migratory bird tracking program launched!

Posted on May 16, 2017

Big news for bird science! The Georgian Bay Land Trust has installed our first of three remote telemetry stations, which will track the flight paths of migratory birds using the Motus tracking system, in partnership with Bird Studies Canada. This tower, installed at the Port Severn Wetlands, has a 15km range, with two antenna pointing towards Beausoleil, and a third toward Matchedash Bay. A further two towers will be installed on Brebeuf Island and Giant’s Tomb. Together, these three towers will form a line that should record any tracked bird travelling up the eastern Georgian Bay coast – an area…

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Welcome Janet Brough Tinsley, Senior Development Officer

Posted on April 12, 2017

The Georgian Bay Land Trust is delighted to welcome Janet Brough Tinsley as our new Senior Development Officer. Janet has been summering in Wah Wah Taysee all her life with family roots in the area dating back over 80 years. Many of you may already know Janet – those who don’t, be sure to say hello when you see her on the bay this summer! Janet is passionate about sharing the beauty of the bay while preserving and protecting it for future generations. She has had a long and rewarding career in marketing and advertising with a number of well-known…

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Congratulations to our King Family Bursary winners!

Posted on April 10, 2017

The Georgian Bay Land Trust is delighted to announce the winners of this year’s King Family Bursary. Supported by the Wally and Marilyn King Endowment Fund, as well as an anonymous donor, the bursary provides $3,500 to support projects that promote knowledge and appreciation of eastern Georgian Bay and/or the North Channel. This year’s winners are both embarking on very important projects for Georgian Bay. Katherine Denune will spend the summer tackling one of the biggest threats to conservation on the Bay, invasive Phragmites, while Boshdayosgaykwe will set out to document one of the area’s most important cultural practices, the…

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Passion for Georgian Bay

Posted on November 17, 2016

A new book has just been published on the founding of the Township of the Archipelago. Passion for Georgian Bay chronicles the efforts of a group of ordinary citizens to establish a new township in the District of Parry Sound during the latter decades of the twentieth century. The Georgian Bay Association, led by Tony Ormsby and then Wally King, provided the leadership for this significant accomplishment, with help from Gary French and Tom Martin. Professionally written and containing detailed maps and other interesting documentation, this full colour publication of over 200 pages with some lovely Bay photo’s is an…

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Steamboat Channel Protected!

Posted on July 18, 2016

Hooray! After more ups and downs than we can count, and incredible effort and generosity from our community of supporters, we are thrilled to announce that the 35 acre northern section of Pointe au Baril’s Mackenzie Island is now protected by the Georgian Bay Land Trust. Known locally simply as “Steamboat” after the channel whose southern shore it borders, this property is both highly ecologically significant and historically treasured by the Pointe au Baril community. One of Georgian Bay’s few remaining pockets of old growth white pine forest is found here, a rare occurrence as the coast was so extensively…

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The Georgian Bay Land Trust protects Crane Lake Reserve

Posted on June 24, 2016

The Georgian Bay Land Trust welcomed a new protected property to our network last week. The Crane Lake Reserve is located on the northern shore of Crane Lake, just to the west of Blackstone Lake. One of the Land Trust’s few inland properties, the reserve boasts more extensive soil development than is common along coastal Georgian Bay, and contains sugar maple and eastern hemlock forests in its inland portions. The reserve’s shoreline consists of an interior coastal wetland, which provides an important link to a significant high-quality wetland adjacent to the property. Protection by the Georgian Bay Land Trust ensures…

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At-risk wading bird call sampling at Port Severn Wetlands

Posted on May 30, 2016

Last week, Ministry of Natural Resources scientists were busy installing a sound recording station at our Port Severn Wetlands property. The purpose of this sampling station is to fill important knowledge gaps pertaining to the distribution of two at-risk birds in Ontario. The King Rail (Rallus elegans) is classified as Endangered in Ontario (SARO) and across Canada (SARA), and the Least Bittern (lxobrychus exilis) is classified as Threatened in Ontario and across Canada. Port Severn Wetlands is known to provide habitat for these birds, and forms an important part of a larger study of their habitats and distribution across the province….

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King Family Bursary Winners

Posted on April 18, 2016

The Georgian Bay Land Trust has awarded our third annual King Family Bursary to two talented artists who will each set out to capture different aspects of the Bay this coming summer. Melanie Gausden will examine the interaction between people and the Bay in a series of paintings, while Sylvia Galbraith will focus her photographic talents on the geologic forces at work in our environment. Congratulations Melanie and Sylvia! We’d like to thank Wally and Marilyn King, as well as an anonymous donor, for funding this bursary which aims to promote knowledge and appreciation of the eastern shore of Georgian…

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1960s Wooden Outboard for Sale

Posted on March 29, 2016

The Georgian Bay Land Trust is selling a boat and motor that were bequeathed to us along with the Thomson Reserve property in Nares Inlet. Please see below for details about the boat and how to make an offer. This is the boat that accompanied the final bequest of the cottage islands from Robert Thomson’s estate to the Georgian Bay Land Trust. It came documented as “a 1971 Voyager boat and 1964 Johnson 50 hp motor” but it is likely that if those years apply, they have been reversed. The motor is clearly not from 1964, but the hull could be. Boat is…

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Scotiabank 5K Charity Challenge – October 18th 2015

Posted on September 29, 2015

On October 18th, the Georgian Bay Land Trust will be participating in the 5K Charity Challenge as part of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. We’ll be running or walking 5K and raising funds to help us protect the wilderness of Georgian Bay. Want to get involved? Join us for the walk or make a donation to our team. WOULD YOU LIKE TO WALK WITH US? It’s easy to sign up, and there’s free registration for the first 20 walkers! Click here to register for the walk. Do not enter a discount code on Step 2. On Step 3, select Yes next to Would you…

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You Could Win a Rossiter 14 Boat & 40 HP Yamaha Motor in the GBLT Lottery!

Posted on July 8, 2015

Support the GBLT and you could cruise home in this beautiful Rossiter 14—designed here in Georgian Bay—with a 40 HP Yamaha Four Stroke Engine! All proceeds help protect Georgian Bay wilderness. Tickets are just $25, 2 for $40, or 3 for $50. Buy your tickets by phone at 416.440.1519 ext 102 Tickets are also available at GBLT events this summer, and at: Desmasdons Boatworks Generously donated by Rossiter Boats and Desmasdons Boatworks Georgian Bay Trust Foundation, Inc. Lic #M473628. Draw date and location: Noon, Jan 19, 2016 at 51 Highland Ave, Barrie ON 2,000 tickets printed. Prize value $27,000 incl. HST.

Wild Mammals Photo Contest

Posted on May 7, 2015

Capture a wild Georgian Bay mammal with your camera and enter the GBLT’s 2015 photo contest. The contest is open for submissions until September 15th, 2015 (*deadline extended until September 30th), at which time 25 winning photos will be selected to be made into a poster. All submissions must be original photos from the eastern shore of Georgian Bay or the North Channel. Photos do not need to have been taken in 2015 – if you have a great shot from the past we’d love to see it. Only digital submissions will be accepted, and all photos must have a minimum…

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Welcome to our new Director of Development: Jason Wagar

Posted on April 21, 2015

  The GBLT is delighted to welcome Jason Wagar to our team as our new Director of Development. Jason holds a Masters of Charity Marketing and Fundraising from the Sir John Cass Business School at City University London, and comes to us after three years as the Senior Manager of Individual Giving and Foundations at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). A Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), he is an Instructor of Fundraising at Ryerson University and has previously worked as the Manager of Donor Services and Marketing with the Toronto Community Foundation. Jason’s personal experience with land trusts began when his…

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King Family Bursary Winners

Posted on March 19, 2015

The GBLT is thrilled to announce this year’s winners of the King Family Bursary. With over fifty wonderful original applications our judges had a very difficult time making the final decision, but we’re confident that this year’s winners will be more than up to the challenge of creating unique and meaningful works that will help us all appreciate and understand Georgian Bay. Congratulations to Kendall Flower and Jillian McDonald! We’d like to sincerely thank all applicants and wish them well in their work. It was very inspiring to see so many creative and passionate responses to Georgian Bay and we…

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Bayscapes Art Auction Raises $40,000

Posted on November 27, 2014

A big thank you to the wonderful artists who made everything possible, and our fantastic sponsors and volunteers without whom we could not have run the night. Special thanks to Mary Ann Sayers, Event Chair, and Lewis Reis, Volunteer Coordinator. Thank you to everyone who purchased artwork and to all who came out in support of the Bay. We hope you enjoyed the night as much as we did!

The Unsinkable Janet Lougheed

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After 9 years of unflagging dedication to the GBLT, Janet Lougheed is retiring from the position of Communications and Development Director to do some world travels with husband George. Janet has been the spark-plug of the organization and we will dearly miss her. She will continue to help the GBLT out in an advisory role. A full tribute to Janet will appear in this winter’s LandScript. From all of us we wish Janet and husband George the same smooth sailing as they enjoy their trips ahead.

Blanding’s Turtle habitat survey

Posted on September 8, 2014

During the 2013 summer field season, we actively surveyed 4 islands owned by the Georgian Bay Land Trust (Figure 1). These data (Table 1) were collected to validate Blanding’s turtle habitat suitability models created for the Georgian Bay archipelago. These data will be used in a geographic information system (GIS) to allow us to determine the accuracy of our habitat models. Our goal is to produce a model which accurately predicts islands in the Georgian Bay archipelago that provide suitable habitat for the Blanding’s turtle. This model will aid in the protection and management of this species at risk and…

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Dr. Norman Pearson 1928–2014

Posted on August 8, 2014

It is with much sadness that we learned recently that Norman passed away, August 8, 2014, in London Ontario. He was predeceased, earlier this year, by his wife, Gerda. They had no children. Norman fulfilled his military service in the RAF and later, the RCAF, as Navigator, NATO Command. Norman came to Canada in 1954 after graduation in Fine Arts, with honours in Town and Country Planning at the University of Durham, England, and obtained his PhD in Land Economy and Ecological Planning at the Institute of Advanced Studies in 1979. Norman received many honours, awards and citations both academic…

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