Displaying items by tag: land donation

RIDEAU LAKES, Jan. 9, 2023 – A small island property in Rideau Lakes Township will remain in its natural state even as waterfront development ramps up around it. 

The Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation received the donation this fall from five siblings who together owned the remains of their family’s legacy cottage property. The exact location will not be shared to discourage unwanted visitors.

The four-acre island parcel includes more than 500 metres of pristine shoreline and a good mix of habitats. 

“Some lower areas near the water have lots of wetter tree and plant species, and then there’s also high and dry species like white pine, oak and sugar maple,” said Chelsey Ellis, Conservation Lands Manager at the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA), which helps the Foundation manage the donated lands. “The shoreline is also a high priority for us because that’s the ribbon of life, that’s where most of our biodiversity is found in the lake.” 

The island is located near several publicly-owned natural properties on the mainland, which create a connective corridor for wildlife across the water. Ellis said the island will remain a convenient stop-over for creatures looking to cross the lake, whether by flying, swimming or even walking over the ice.

Protecting this type of habitat corridor is especially important on highly-developed lakes, which will face increased development pressures going forward. 

“Before it was donated, one or two developments would have wiped out the natural integrity of the site,” Ellis said. “On such a popular lake, it was going to be under a lot more development pressure in the next 50 years. This generous donation has taken it out of the bidding.”

The property will be owned by the Foundation, while a conservation easement agreement with the RVCA ensures it will remain free of campfire pits, docks, trails and other development. The family will receive a market value tax credit through the federal Ecological Gifts program and will be exempt from capital gains taxes on the gift. 

Get involved

Families wishing to shed their natural properties are encouraged to consider land donation through the Foundation, either now or as part of their long-term estate planning. Having conversations with family members now to clarify your wishes can save time and money for your family members down the road, and avoid uncertainty for them at a difficult time. 

Those who can’t donate land can support the costs associated with land ownership through the Foundation’s Conservation Lands Endowment Fund. The Foundation uses the fund’s annual interest to cover maintenance, insurance and other routine costs of property ownership. 

Learn more about the Foundation at www.rvcf.ca. 

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KANATA, Dec. 2, 2022 – It’s not very often a 50-acre swath of provincially-significant wetland becomes available in the City of Ottawa – but when it does, the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation is keen to protect it. 

The Foundation accepted the substantial section of Manion Corners Wetland this fall from siblings Paul Lackner and Colleen Green, who decided their family’s natural property – lovingly referred to as “the farm” – belonged in a land trust for perpetual protection.

“Growing up, we used to hike to the back of the property where we had a small cabin, and we’d spend the day or occasionally overnight,” Green remembered. “We would snowshoe or ski there in the winter and pick our Christmas tree.” 

Used for grazing before Green’s grandfather bought it more than 60 years ago, the wetland is now an environmental gem in a rapidly growing part of the city. 

“This property is really special,” said Chelsey Ellis, Conservation Lands Manager at the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA), which helps the Foundation manage donated lands. “First of all, it’s a provincially-significant wetland, which tells us it plays an important role in local ecological and hydrological systems. 

“But it also offers a key piece of habitat along the Ribbon of Life, where shore meets land. It goes from wetland to an upland site in a relative hurry, so these are the areas where you might get winter deer yards and other wildlife activity.”

Ellis said a City of Ottawa report also found species at risk and other rare species in the same wetland complex near the property lines.

Green recalled an active beaver community on the land throughout her childhood, and more recently neighbours have spotted deer on the property as well as a black bear and cubs.

But Ellis said provincially-significant wetlands can no longer rely on their status alone to protect them.

“Given the ease with which new development rules have come along in the last 15 to 20 years, PSWs have become a priority for protection,” Ellis said. “When PSWs are in private hands they can often be altered, which undermines the whole ecological system.”

Land Donation Benefits All

Many of the Foundation’s land donations are processed through the federal Ecological Gifts program, which offers a generous federal tax credit on the full market value of the donated property. Donors are also exempt from capital gains taxes on the gift.

But the benefits go far beyond financial recompense. 

“Everyone benefits when land is protected,” said Foundation director Diane Downey. “The donors know their cherished natural property will be maintained, while the community benefits from cleaner air and water, reduced flooding, increased biodiversity and a beautiful landscape.”

Wetland protection is especially critical as extreme weather and climate change accelerate. Wetlands are some of the planet’s most effective carbon sinks, and they’re key to effective flood management because of their ability to collect and store excess stormwater. 

A recent study from the University of Waterloo found Southern Ontario’s wetlands provide $4.1 billion in water filtration services each year – and that it would cost up to $164 billion a year to replace their critical functions through expanded wastewater facilities. 

Get involved

Families with natural properties are encouraged to consider land donation through the Foundation, either now or as part of their long-term estate planning. Having conversations with family members about your wishes now can save headaches for your family members down the road.

Those who can’t donate land can support the costs associated with land acquisition through the Foundation’s Steve Simmering Conservation Lands Endowment Fund. The Foundation uses the fund’s annual interest to cover maintenance, insurance and other routine costs of property ownership. Until Dec. 6, the Simmering Family is matching up to $5,000 in donations to the fund as part of the Foundation’s Giving Tuesday campaign.

Green said her family is pleased to see their beloved property passed down into perpetual protection. 

“I hope this donation will continue to support the local ecosystem into the future,” she said. 

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RIDEAU VALLEY, Nov. 21, 2022 – Wetlands are among our planet’s most critical natural features, and key to helping communities manage climate change, worsening storms and extreme weather into an uncertain future.

Yet Ontario's wetlands are increasingly under threat, with reduced wetland protections paving the way for more housing. 

But hope is not lost. Land trusts like the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation protect wetlands before they are destroyed forever – in fact, the Foundation already protects more than 1,500 acres of pristine natural lands across the Rideau Valley. These lands include vast wetland complexes, upland forests, shoreline properties and critical habitat.

With your help, we can afford to protect even more.

Donations to our Steve Simmering Conservation Lands Endowment Fund this giving season will help the Foundation cover annual maintenance costs for the natural lands we already own - and give us the confidence to accept future land donations knowing we have the funds to maintain them in perpetuity. 

Even natural, undeveloped land costs money to maintain – up to $60,000 per property over time for property taxes, safety inspections and signage – and interest from the Simmering endowment covers these annual costs each year. The principal remains invested to create a steady flow of cash year after year.

Paving our wetlands would put more communities in the path of extreme floods, reduce drinking water quality and contribute to the rapid biodiversity collapse taking over the globe. Not to mention, these critical carbon sinks would no longer pull immense amounts of carbon dioxide out of our warming atmosphere.

This giving season, give wetlands a fighting chance. Visit www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/63940 to donate today. 

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The Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation is a registered environmental charity working to help protect and conserve the lands and waters of the valley of the Rideau River in Eastern Ontario. For more information visit www.rvcf.ca.