Photo Karen Graham.
Noel examines a rare young Burr Oak tree discovered on his farm by KLT staff while they were preparing an inventory of plants and animals to formulate recommendations to foster biodiversity on the property.
Photo Karen Graham.
Wildflowers offer plenty of pollinating opportunities.
Photo Karen Graham.
In 2021, Burrenbeo Trust of Ireland launched The Hare’s Corner Project – an initiative to help farmers and landowners make more space for nature.
he term comes from an old farming expression describing an unused corner of a field or a piece of rough ground that is left to nature, allowing hares and other native animals and vegetation a spot where they could thrive undisturbed. The concept is the basis for the Burrenbeo Trust initiative that encourages landowners to create mini-woodlands, mini-orchards and wildlife ponds where nature is left to thrive. The concept has now crossed the pond and is making a significant impact on a farm south of Millbrook.
Noel and Kasia Kerin have dedicated more than 30 acres of their farm on County Rd. 28 to this conservation practice. They could have simply left the land to rewild itself on its own schedule, but chose instead to accelerate the process, partnering with Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) to guide them along the way. Like Burrenbeo Trust, KLT supports land stewardship and offers a programs that support conservation projects on private property.
In 2022, KLT staff and volunteers conducted a thorough assessment of the Kerin property, establishing an inventory of the soil and the existing wildlife and vegetation to establish a baseline. From there they created stewardship recommendations that would best benefit the property. The Hare’s Corner on the Kerin’s farm includes a beautiful meadow, wetlands and forest. It is home to several beehives and a wide variety of species native to the Kawarthas, including Green Herons, Common Yellowthroats, Snapping Turtles, dragonflies, and an abundance of frogs. The vegetation includes a mixed forest with cedar thickets, tree cavities offering winter protection to birds and fruit produced by trees and shrubs that feeds wildlife including ducks, deer, black bear and porcupine. The large meadow and wetlands are home to a flourishing ecosystem which KLT describes as a pollinator’s paradise.
Less welcome vegetation includes Scots Pine, an aggressive tree that spreads quickly and crowds out native species as well as some wild parsnip. Recommendations included the addition of dead logs and nest protectors to ponds to protect turtle nests and offer them places to take in a little sun. Last fall, KLT representatives returned to the farm to plant 150 Tamarack and White Spruce trees in the meadow area to connect wooded areas that were fragmented.
Efforts like those of the Kerins foster increased biodiversity and improve the health of the local ecosystem. They represent natural climate solutions, contributing to cleaner air and water, increased pollination and the mitigation of climate change and the effects of extreme weather events. It also contributes to meeting the Federal Government goal of conserving 30 percent of Canada’s land and water by 2030 to reverse the decline in biodiversity, fight climate change and maintain a sustainable economy. According to a 2020 report by the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario, biodiversity is most at risk in southern Ontario where only 0.6% of lands are protected. This region contains important features such as the Niagara Escarpment, the Oak Ridges Moraine, supports rare habitats like tallgrass prairies and savannahs and is home to species not found in other parts of Canada. More than 90% of land in southern Ontario is privately owned, so it will take efforts by private property owners like the Kerins to meet this federal target.
KLT will help conservation-minded farmers take a step towards stewardship on their lands with a view to the future. For more information, visit their website at https://kawarthalandtrust.org. KG