I fully support this…

I fully support this proposal to create a conservation reserve on the south shore of Prince Edward County. The County’s south shore has global, national, provincial and local significance and we owe it to future generations to protect it to our best ability. A conservation reserve is a major step in offering this protection.

The two areas marked out on the map for the conservation reserve are representative of the entire south shore and that alone makes them worth protecting. They contain an impressive array of natural features including wetlands, woodlands and limestone bedrock shoreline. Also, these areas are key components in the south shore’s exceptional biodiversity, which includes major concentrations of migratory raptors, songbirds, waterfowl, bats and butterflies and rare alvars which provide some of the most species-rich habitats in the world. These areas also provide life support to 41 (at last count) provincial species at risk. A conservation reserve is a major step forward in protecting the biodiversity of this unique part of southern Ontario.

I would like to end my comment on a personal note. I live only a few kilometres north of the Lake Ontario shoreline and I’m especially excited at the prospect of having a conservation reserve nearby where I will be able to walk and enjoy the natural surroundings and water views. And I will be able to enjoy them even more knowing that it will all still be here in the years to come.

Kudos to the provincial government and everyone else involved in this initiative!