McMahon Bluff

Scenic South Shore property on road to conservation

The Nature Conservancy of Canada recently announced a new conservation project at McMahon Bluff adjacent to Black River in South Bay. The 97-hectare (241-acre) property was donated by owner Mike Wilson, and is an important and biologically diverse area that is one of the few relatively undisturbed tracts of land in that area. The property is on a bluff, or mesa, that rises 30 metres above Lake Ontario at Black River and features steep slopes, cliff faces, forest, alvar and almost two kilometres of pristine shoreline. “Nature Conservancy of Canada has been aware of the property for some time,” said Mark Stabb, NCC program director for Lake Ontario – East. “We developed a strategic plan that helped us prioritize where to invest time and donors’ money in the eastern Lake Ontario coastal area and McMahon Bluff just stood out like a shining example of the type of natural area that really needed to be protected.” The Hastings Prince Edward Land Trust (HPELT) looked into acquiring the land about 15 years ago when the property was for sale, and there were indications of development planned for that area. With fundraising help from NCC, the Land Trust made an offer on the property that didn’t go through. “The person who bought the property was Mike Wilson, and now so many years later we have a relationship with Mr. Wilson through other projects. He had been exploring options for that property and decided the right thing to do was to donate it to the NCC,” said Stabb. “There are so many aspects to this property. Besides being a scenic and dramatic landmark for the County, ecologically it’s quite significant. There’s endangered plant species and rare birds. It’s a wintering area for deer, it’s a quiet area for wildlife. Bald eagles group there. It’s a large intact natural area that hasn’t been disturbed much at all as of late.”

Although the land has been donated, the NCC still has to raise $460,000 to cover the costs of turning the land into a perpetual conservation area. These costs include paying for appraisals, surveys and legal fees. “This coming year we’ll be developing a property management plan that will help identify what the future has in store for the property. We’ll be looking at all the biological features, and looking at threats to those features such as invasive species, and potential access issues,” said Stabb. The majority of the money will go to covering the cost of caring for the property in the future.

McMahon Bluff rises above the mouth of Black River at Lake Ontario. This tract of land was recently donated to the Nature Conservancy of Canada and will eventually feature public access.

“For every acquisition, we invest in a stewardship endowment fund to help care for the property in the future. The biggest part of this fundraising effort is to ensure there will always be support for the care of this property,” added Stabb.

Access to the property will be limited until a management plan is in place. The NCC plans to develop a trail system on the property, and will be hosting a few guided walks for invited guests in 2021, with public access coming sometime later. “The top priority is biodiversity conservation, so the management plan will determine what type of access is appropriate,” said Stabb. With this property, the NCC has now helped to protect more than 1,000 acres of land in the County. This includes the 1976 acquisition of Main Duck Island, which was transferred to Parks Canada, as well as providing financial help to the HPELT for the acquisition of Miller Family Nature Reserve. The NCC’s mandate includes helping people connect with nature, and in recent years it has helped to secure four properties in the County as conservation areas, with further areas on the way. Property owners who wish to explore donation opportunities can find more information at natureconservancy.ca. “It’s really exciting to be in the County when there’s so much happening. We’re really happy to be helping to ensure the green areas of Prince Edward County stay that way and they are a legacy for the future,” said Stabb. “We’ve had a real focus on the south shore of Prince Edward County, and we’re looking for landowners who have stewarded their property so well and would like to continue that stewardship into the future by finding ways to conserve it through Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Hastings Prince Edward Land Trust. It’s part of a growing network of protected places to ensure a green legacy for the south shore.”

Property owner Mike Wilson has been a long-time supporter of conservation efforts. He has donated a 1,000-acre island in Pigeon Lake to the Kawartha Land Trust, has funded a Trent watershed program in Campbellford, and is involved in the Kenauk Nature conservation initiative in Quebec. “I grew up not too far from Prince Edward County, in Campbellford, and always loved the area. Although I left home at 18 to pursue an engineering education and business career, I have always felt this area as home. I am a conservationist at heart and have always looked for ways to ensure future generations—my grandchildren and others—get to enjoy and access undeveloped areas. I purchased the property at McMahon Bluff several years ago and I believe it is an extraordinary piece of shoreline in the County that should be conserved. I hope others will do as I have done and support the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s conservation efforts in Prince Edward County and beyond. It’s more critical now than ever before,” he said. “I hope that the residents of Prince Edward County will enjoy the property.”