Old-growth forest, wetland and karst habitats protected along Moira River in Napanee Plain

It was years in the making but 73 hectares of land along the Moira River north of Belleville is now protected.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) says the Moira River Karst features thriving old growth forest, karst and wetland habitats.

The late Clifford and Heather Maclean of Hastings County first approached the NCC in 2008 about protecting the property.

With the help of the Maclean family and the support of numerous donors and partners, NCC has acquired the property which is equivalent to 55 football fields.

“Besides being an ecological gem, this property has meant a lot to the family as a place for long walks and peaceful reflection and for helping with personal health and well-being,” says Mark Stabb, Program Director – Central Ontario East, Ontario Region. “We look forward to caring for this special place and to finding ways to share its magic with others.” 

The Moira River Karst nature reserve is an ecologically important property boasting different types of forest ecosystems, including mixed and old-growth forests, which store carbon and provide habitat for threatened interior forest bird species such as wood thrush.

Fields and meadows provide excellent habitat for at-risk grassland bird species such as bobolink (threatened) and eastern meadowlark (threatened).

The property also features carbon-rich wetlands, meadows and karst habitats, providing a rich array of biodiversity and habitat for species.

The forests, wetlands and rocky karst formations filter and clean the water that flows into the Moira River and to downstream communities such as Belleville.

The Moira River runs for 1.5 km along the property’s boundary.

This project builds on conservation success in the area.

NCC has been working with partners to conserve land on the Napanee Plain since the early 1990s, having helped protect and care for more than 1,500 hectares of the area’s significant natural features.

The project was made possible by the support of many private donors, foundations, the Government of Canada through the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund, and the Government of Ontario through the Greenlands Conservation Partnership program.  

Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault says, “Our government is supporting the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s conservation work to help fight climate change by protecting old-growth forest, wetlands and karst along the Moira River near Belleville. These natural wonders are carbon storehouses and biodiversity hot spots that offer a home to several species at risk. With each investment in the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund, we continue to build a more sustainable, healthy future for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren.” 

In the past two years alone, NCC has influenced the protection of more than one million hectares (almost twice the size of Prince Edward Island), coast to coast to coast.