Rare peninsula lands saved from development

The home to at-risk species will never be developed, thanks to a more than $3 million investment by the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

A rare section of the Lake Huron shoreline along the Bruce Peninsula will never be developed, thanks to a more than $3-million investment by the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

“The N.C.C.(Nature Conservancy of Canada) is in the forever business. So, we’re going to be stewarding this property in perpetuity,” says Esme Batten, program director for the midwestern Ontario division of the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

The 72 acre (29 hectare) property, called China Cove, is located just west of Tobermory. It’s home to rare and at-risk species of several animals and plants, says Batten. It also protects nearly one kilometre of incredibly valuable Lake Huron shoreline, from development, forever.

“It really presents one of the last opportunities to protect Lake Huron shoreline on the Saugeen-Bruce Peninsula. We only have about eight kilometers left that’s unprotected or not developed on the northern part of the peninsula. These undisturbed shorelines are really important for helping clean our water. But, they’re also really important for many species, including fish, like lake trout and whitefish that kind of spawn in those shore waters,” says Batten.

The funding to buy the property came from private donors, along with the provincial and federal government.

“When I am meeting with colleagues at Queen’s Park and they realize where I am from, they always recall Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound for its stunning natural beauty and heritage. I am so pleased to see community and nature come together to see China Cove be protected for generations to come. I would specifically like to recognize the donors behind this project, for whom this is certainly not possible,” says Paul Vickers, member of provincial parliament for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, which includes the now protected property.

The area previously known as China Cove will be renamed Aah Mahwi Nibi or Crying Water, to remember the shipwreck, the China.

“The Aah Mahwi Nibi project will permanently protect 72 acres of land on the Saugeen-Bruce Peninsula, which is about the size of 180 NHL hockey rinks. With the help of the Greenlands Conservation Partnership program and local partners across Ontario, we are providing more opportunities for people to explore the many incredible outdoor spaces and hidden gems that our province has to offer,” says Todd McCarthy, provincial minister of the environment, conservation and parks.

The now protected property is located near a famous shipwreck, the China, which wrecked offshore in 1883. Scuba divers will still be able to access the wreck, but the shoreline near it, will now be studied by researchers, before deciding if the property will be opened to the public, or simply protected, for decades to come. Before it’s purchase by N.C.C., the 29 hectare property was slated for the construction of, as many as seven homes.

“This property actually abuts Fathom Five Marine National Park, which is really exciting. So, say you’re a bird along your migration. The Peninsula acts as almost a funnel for those species kind of going to the Boreal Forest further north. So you could stop off and an N.C.C. property down in Norfolk County, and then that bird could stop at Crying Water to kind of rest and feed, and then continue along other kind of conservation land along the north shore of Lake Superior to the boreal,” says Batten.