Canada South Land Trust's mission is to preserve natural areas
in the City of Windsor, Essex County, Pelee Island,
and the Municipality of Chatham/Kent for future generations.
Seven local naturalists met September 6, 2001 to consider the establishment of a new land trust in the County of Essex and the Municipality of Chatham/Kent.
The Canada South Land Trust has joined over thirty other land trusts across Ontario dedicated to the preservation of the province's natural heritage. Land trusts in Ontario are members of the Ontario Land Trust Alliance and Canadian Land Trust Alliance.
On February 11, 2002, the Canada South Land Trust obtained its Letters Patent from Industry Canada. As of January 2003, the Land Trust obtained its charitable status and was declared to be a recipient of ecologically significant lands by Environment Canada's Ecological Gifts Program.
Through a generous Ontario Trillium Foundation grant, funding was obtained to create a guiding document for the Land Trust. The Canada South Land Trust's Natural Heritage Preservation Strategy (2005) describes the natural heritage of both Essex County and the Municipality of Chatham/Kent as well as providing land evaluation documents.
In April 2004, landowners Bill Balkwill and Jack Balkwill informed the Land Trust that they wished to donate a Conservation Agreement on their 47 acre woodland located in the Town of Kingsville. The Land Trust engaged a conservation lawyer familiar with Conservation Agreements who assisted the Land Trust with the writing of this legal document.
The Balkwill Lands Conservation Agreement recognizes that "the Owners and the Land Trust intend to conserve the woodland, wildlife habitat and natural features of the Lands and to preserve the aesthetic and scenic character of the Lands, and to prevent exploitation of the Lands and wildlife for commercial, industrial or development purposes." Of note are restrictions within the Conservation Agreement that ensure the woodland is not altered by such as activities as road building, dumping of fill, construction of buildings or cutting of trees. The restrictions on the Balkwill Lands apply to the present owners and all subsequent owners. All restrictions within the Conservation Agreement may be monitored.
As well, the Owners and Land Trust worked together with regard to arranging for a survey of the Lands as well as the compilation of Baseline Documentation Report. The Baseline Documentation Report describes the Lands in words and photographs. Canada South Land Trust volunteers in cooperation with the landowners worked many hours to gather the information and photographs necessary to provide "a snap shot in time" of the Balkwill Lands.
In March 2007, the Land Trust met with its Windsor lawyers to examine all of its Balkwill Conservation Agreement documents with registration on-line of the Conservation Agreement occurring on April 13, 2007.
Two Canada South Land Trust volunteers monitored the Balkwill Lands for the first time on June 28 and July 2, 2007. The volunteers used monitoring sheets especially prepared to consider the restrictions on the Lands as indicated in the Conservation Agreement. No violations of the Balkwill Conservation Agreement were observed by the monitors. The monitoring report as prepared by the volunteers has been stored as a hard copy and also as an electronic copy.
During Summer 2008, volunteer monitors will again arrange appointments with Bill Balkwill and Jack Balkwill to monitor their Lands. Monitoring volunteers now number five, indicating the keen interest in the Balkwill Lands and long term preservation of those Lands.
For further information contact:
Canada South Land Trust
2405 Princess Avenue,
Windsor ON Canada N8T 1V2
Telephone: 519-944-0825