More lands will be protected as part of the Sauble Dunes Nature Reserve after an acquisition by an environmental charity.
Ontario Nature recently announced the acquisition of the 26.7-hectare Sauble Dunes North property, which will expand the Lake Huron coastal nature reserve to more than 77 total hectares.
The Sauble Dunes Nature Reserve is protected land between Sauble River and Lake Huron, which now connects to adjacent natural areas including Chief’s Point Wetland, Sauble Falls Provincial Park and county forests.
“Expanding the Sauble Dunes Nature Reserve permanently protects an extraordinary landscape, home to nationally rare ecosystems and species. This achievement reflects the trust placed in us by our members, donors, First Nations and land protection partners,” says Ontario Nature Executive Director Andrés Jiménez Monge in a release. “By entrusting Ontario Nature with this place, they have given us both the privilege and the responsibility to keep widening the corridors of safety that biodiversity needs to endure and recover across this province.”
The newly acquired Sauble Dunes North property provides habitat for 24 species considered at-risk, and more than 40 rare species. Some of those are the eastern whip-poor-will, Canada warbler, eastern ribbonsnake monarch butterfly, wood thrush and black ash.
According to Ontario Nature, forested sand dunes, such as those at Sauble Dunes, are particularly uncommon in Canada.
Prior to its acquisition and subsequent protection, Sauble Dunes North was owned by a developer and zoned for rural development.
The Government of Canada supposed the land purchase through the Land Trust Conservation Fund. A sale price was not disclosed.
Ontario Nature will integrate the property into its Sauble Dunes Nature Reserve management plan, focusing on long-term protection, habitat restoration, invasive species management and species at risk monitoring.