Lake Simcoe Conservation Preserve
The Lake Simcoe Conservation Preserve is the Conservation Authority’s most recent land acquisition. The property is 890 acres of forest, grasslands, active agricultural fields, and extensive wetlands located in the Town of Georgina. Given the property’s size, and the fact that it has not been managed for decades, the Conservation Authority has begun an assessment of its features to determine how to manage it into the future. The name "Lake Simcoe Conservation Preserve" is temporary until a permanent name is selected during the Comprehensive Planning (i.e., long-term planning) process.
Until such time the property has been fully mapped, and a Comprehensive Plan created it is not open to the public. Please respect the no trespassing signs. This is for safety and legal reasons as well as to protect natural features and species that live there.
This is a multi-year project that will eventually include consultation with the public. On this page you can review work carried out to date, and sign up for updates to receive notification of when public consultation will commence.
The Lake Simcoe Conservation Preserve is the Conservation Authority’s most recent land acquisition. The property is 890 acres of forest, grasslands, active agricultural fields, and extensive wetlands located in the Town of Georgina. Given the property’s size, and the fact that it has not been managed for decades, the Conservation Authority has begun an assessment of its features to determine how to manage it into the future. The name "Lake Simcoe Conservation Preserve" is temporary until a permanent name is selected during the Comprehensive Planning (i.e., long-term planning) process.
Until such time the property has been fully mapped, and a Comprehensive Plan created it is not open to the public. Please respect the no trespassing signs. This is for safety and legal reasons as well as to protect natural features and species that live there.
This is a multi-year project that will eventually include consultation with the public. On this page you can review work carried out to date, and sign up for updates to receive notification of when public consultation will commence.
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Fall 2024 Activities
Share Fall 2024 Activities on Facebook Share Fall 2024 Activities on Twitter Share Fall 2024 Activities on Linkedin Email Fall 2024 Activities linkIndigenous Engagement continues to be led by Cambium Indigenous Professional Services to deepen the Conservation Authority’s understanding of the property from an Indigenous Lens to develop a two-eyed seeing approach. Two-eyed seeing is an approach that challenges people to look at an issue through multiple lenses--in this case, taking both an Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge, as well as a western science-based approach. As part of this process, an Indigenous Knowledge Carrier Council was created and a fall site visit was carried out to better understand the property’s transformations through a different season. The first gathering of the Knowledge Carriers Council took place in November 2024. At this meeting, a plan for how this group will be involved in the engagement process was created. -
Summer 2024 Activities
Share Summer 2024 Activities on Facebook Share Summer 2024 Activities on Twitter Share Summer 2024 Activities on Linkedin Email Summer 2024 Activities linkInvasive species control efforts were implemented to reduce phragmites on the property. All patches that were
As part of the Conservation Authority’s new watershed wide terrestrial long-term monitoring plot program, a deciduous forest monitoring plot was set up and surveyed on the property. This program aims to determine the current status of and identify long-term trends in the health of our watershed’s forests.
Boundary inspections continued this season, with additional property boundaries being followed to find iron survey bars and to look for any encroachment or other issues.
Progress towards a Traditional Knowledge report and the Land Relationship Visioning exercise continued, guided by the project Cambium Indigenous Professional Services, and included Indigenous community engagements and a summer site visit.
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Winter and Spring 2024 Activities
Share Winter and Spring 2024 Activities on Facebook Share Winter and Spring 2024 Activities on Twitter Share Winter and Spring 2024 Activities on Linkedin Email Winter and Spring 2024 Activities linkRetained an Indigenous Consulting firm, Cambium Indigenous Professional Services, to walk us through a Land Relation Visioning exercise that will result in a Traditional Ecological Knowledge Report, that will feed directly into the creation of the Comprehensive Plan. Boundary inspections continued to occur on sections of the property which had not yet been inventoried by Authority staff.
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Summer and Fall 2023 Activities
Share Summer and Fall 2023 Activities on Facebook Share Summer and Fall 2023 Activities on Twitter Share Summer and Fall 2023 Activities on Linkedin Email Summer and Fall 2023 Activities linkContinued installing fencing and gates in the areas where they were needed to protect the property from unsanctioned access.
Conservation Authority staff conducted a three-season botanical inventory to add to our knowledge of the plant species present on the Preserve properties. This included finding a number of regionally rare and sensitive species.
A Contractor was hired to conduct a thorough invasive species inventory on the lands to monitoring the species, spread and density of terrestrial invasive plants on the lands. This information guides Conservation Authority staff in how to proceed with property management and provides insight into priority control areas and management activities.
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Spring 2023 Activities
Share Spring 2023 Activities on Facebook Share Spring 2023 Activities on Twitter Share Spring 2023 Activities on Linkedin Email Spring 2023 Activities linkA second year of breeding bird and amphibian monitoring was completed, with multiple survey rounds completed in the recommended timing windows. Staff inventoried 47 breeding bird sites, and 21 breeding amphibian sites. Dozens of bird species were recorded through both visual surveys or calls and breeding amphibians were recorded, including gray tree frogs, chorus frogs and green frogs.
This photo is an example of an eastern red-backed salamander, a species common in mature Ontario woodlands. You can learn more about this species on Ontario Nature's website.
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Winter 2023 Activities
Share Winter 2023 Activities on Facebook Share Winter 2023 Activities on Twitter Share Winter 2023 Activities on Linkedin Email Winter 2023 Activities linkThe Conservation Authority received the final documents from the Consultant, including the Baseline Documentation Report, Stewardship Plan, and Opportunity and Constraint Mapping. These documents can be found in the “Documents” section on this page. This collection of documents outlined the baseline conditions that existed on the property at the time of the inventories, as well as provided guidance and stewardship recommendations.
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Fall 2022 Activities
Share Fall 2022 Activities on Facebook Share Fall 2022 Activities on Twitter Share Fall 2022 Activities on Linkedin Email Fall 2022 Activities linkWhile still trying to gain a better understanding of the property, the Conservation Authority retained a consultant to complete a series of studies and inventories on the property, including a Baseline Documentation Report, Stewardship Plan, and Opportunity and Constraints Mapping. This included conducting a full inventory of the lands utilizing the Ecological Lands Classification framework, to understand the vegetation zones throughout the property.
Property boundary inspections occurred, which included identifying areas of encroachments and unsanctioned access points. A Contractor was retained to install perimeter fencing and gates at key locations to protect the property from unsanctioned uses and prohibit access to the property temporarily.
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Summer 2022 Activities
Share Summer 2022 Activities on Facebook Share Summer 2022 Activities on Twitter Share Summer 2022 Activities on Linkedin Email Summer 2022 Activities linkThis was a busy season for Conservation Authority staff while they were trying to better understand the property, and the features and species it contains. A number of site visits were conducted to document property features and identify immediate actions, such as the installation of signage and fencing. Signage was installed along the property perimeter to identify the lands as owned by the Conservation Authority and to prevent access (through red dots).
Staff utilized a mix of desktop exercises to review landcover layers, and conducted multiple site visits to better understand the variety of ecosystems and species present throughout these large properties. This included conducting a round of breeding amphibian surveys and breeding bird surveys, which provided key ecological knowledge. A thorough inventory of vernal pools was also completed, as those are crucial habitat features for frogs and salamanders.
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Property History and Acquisition (Spring 2022)
Share Property History and Acquisition (Spring 2022) on Facebook Share Property History and Acquisition (Spring 2022) on Twitter Share Property History and Acquisition (Spring 2022) on Linkedin Email Property History and Acquisition (Spring 2022) linkLake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority officially became owner of the temporarily named Lake Simcoe Conservation Preserve lands in March 2022, through an approved Minister’s Zoning Order. The parcel is 890 acres (359 hectares), and consists of wetlands, woodlands, York Region Greenlands, as well as some agricultural lands. This brings the landholdings owned by the Conservation Authority to 4835 acres (1957 hectares).
Who's Listening
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Land Management Technician, Conservation Lands
Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority
Email l.grzywniak@lsrca.on.ca
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Timeline
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Property transferred to the Authority
Lake Simcoe Conservation Preserve has finished this stageThe property was officially transferred to the Authority in March 2022
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Initial Assessments
Lake Simcoe Conservation Preserve has finished this stageNorth South Environmental was retained to conduct property assessments / inventories for physical infrastructure, and stewardship plan over spring and summer 2022
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Species Inventory
Lake Simcoe Conservation Preserve has finished this stageBreeding amphibian and bird monitoring was conducted by North South Environmental over spring, summer, and fall 2022.
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Baseline Reporting Complete
Lake Simcoe Conservation Preserve has finished this stageBaseline Documentation Report, Stewardship Plan, and Opportunity and Constraints mapping was completed in winter 2023.
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Invasive Species Monitoring
Lake Simcoe Conservation Preserve has finished this stageInvasive species monitoring and inventory was completed by North South Environmental over summer 2023.
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Launch of Indigenous Engagement Project
Lake Simcoe Conservation Preserve has finished this stageCambium Indigenous Professional Services was retained in spring 2024 to lead the Indigenous Engagement Project.
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Knowledge Gathering
Lake Simcoe Conservation Preserve is currently at this stageCambium Indigenous Professional Services leads seasonal knowledge gathering across the four seasons.
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Final Report for Indigenous Engagement Project
this is an upcoming stage for Lake Simcoe Conservation PreserveIndigenous Engagement project is complete and recommendations are presented to the Authority.
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Initiation of Comprehensive Planning Process
this is an upcoming stage for Lake Simcoe Conservation PreserveA comprehensive planning process is initiated based on the outcomes of the Indigenous Engagement Project, public consultation, and baseline reporting. A scoping exercise will determine the capacity of the Comprehensive Plan.
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Invasive Species Control
this is an upcoming stage for Lake Simcoe Conservation PreservePrioritizing species and areas within the property to focus control efforts.
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Consultation Phase
this is an upcoming stage for Lake Simcoe Conservation PreserveA multi-point consultation, including consultation with Indigenous Communities, municipal and regional partners, the community, interested stakeholders, and Conservation Authority staff.
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Comprehensive Plan Approval, and Implementation
this is an upcoming stage for Lake Simcoe Conservation PreserveThe final Comprehensive Plan is presented to the Conservation Authority’s Board of Directors. Once approved, the Conservation Authority will begin implementation of the plan.