On May 9th, 2026, Thames Talbot Land Trust (TTLT) hosted a community celebration to announce the securement of their newest nature reserve, MapleCross - Bass Woods. TTLT has been working with the Bass family since 2024 to permanently protect the 30-hectare site. For many years, the Bass family enjoyed the woods, especially in the spring where they explored and admired the beauty of the wildflowers and hosted family picnics on the land. They are excited to allow the next generations to appreciate the wonders of the legacy they’ve built.
The celebration welcomed community members and supporters to the new site in West Elgin. In attendance were representatives from TTLT, MapleCross Fund, and Carolinian Canada, as well as MP Andrew Lawton, MPP Rob Flack, Mayor Richard Leatham, Warden Dominique , and the previous land holders.
MapleCross – Bass Woods is an exceptional 30‑hectare nature reserve located on the Thames River near Wardsville, Ontario. Its boundaries fall within the Carolinian Zone, Canada’s rarest and most diverse ecoregion, providing scarce and important habitat for a variety of species.
At its core lies 18 hectares of mature, undisturbed deciduous forest where Black Maple swamps and Sugar Maple–Basswood woodlands dominate. The understory thrives with wildflowers like Trillium and Jack‑in‑the‑Pulpit, creating a lush, layered ecosystem. In a county where fewer than half of all woodlands exceed 4 hectares and even less contain true interior habitat — a rarity defined by a towering canopy and high habitat quality — MapleCross – Bass Woods stands out as a significant and irreplaceable forest landscape. 
Pollinators thrive with the support of a 1.2‑hectare meadow that features familiar species such as Wild Bergamot, Primrose, Little Bluestem, and Thimbleweed. Tributaries of the Thames River weave throughout the site and provide connectivity to broader river corridors for wildlife movement. MapleCross – Bass Woods also provides critical refuge for species at risk, including Wood Thrush, Eastern Wood‑Pewee, Eastern Flowering Dogwood, Butternut, and Monarch butterflies.
The protection of MapleCross - Bass Woods is directly tied to TTLT’s multi-year Nature Nearby Campaign with the ambitious goal to protect 607 hectares. TTLT has already secured over 1/3 of their goal, and the addition of 30 hectares at this new nature reserve brings them that much closer.
TTLT would like to thank the Bass family for ensuring this special place is protected and cared for in perpetuity. This project was undertaken with the financial support from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC)’s Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund and the Government of Ontario’s Greenlands Conservation Partnership program, administered by the Ontario Land Trust Alliance. We are also grateful to the MapleCross Fund, Carolinian Canada, and The Echo Foundation for their generous support and commitment to conservation.
QUOTES:
“Through the Greenlands Conservation Partnership program, our government is proud to support the MapleCross – Bass Woods project, which is protecting land in one of Ontario’s most ecologically significant regions. By working with land trusts, conservation partners and local landowners, we are supporting community‑led efforts that strengthen Ontario’s network of conserved landscapes for future generations.” — Todd McCarthy, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
“Bass Woods is a great example of the natural heritage we’re fortunate to have here in Elgin–Middlesex–London… places like this ensures that future generations can continue to enjoy and benefit from these rare and important natural spaces.” - The Honourable Rob Flack, M.P.P. for Elgin - Middlesex - London and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
“We’re thrilled to be part of the Bass family’s green legacy, ensuring this wonderful nature reserve is protected forever. Projects like these demonstrate the amazing outcomes for nature and people when land holders, organizations and funders work together. Protecting this site ensures habitat for rare species, ecological corridors for wildlife and ecosystem services for communities. Projects like this are core to our Nature Nearby Campaign to accelerate conservation in the region.” – Daria Koscinski, Executive Director, Thames Talbot Land Trust
FACTS:
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- MapleCross Bass Woods is part of Thames Talbot Land Trust’s Nature Nearby Campaign to ensure nature is available for future generations
- MapleCross Bass Woods is within the Carolinian Zone, which has the highest biodiversity in Canada, but has less than 1% of its land area under protection and some of the lowest natural cover in Canada.
- MapleCross Bass Woods will become a nationally recognized Protected Area, counting towards Canada’s goal of protecting 30% of terrestrial lands and waters by 2030.
- MapleCross Bass Woods is part of a critical ecological corridor along the Thames River
ABOUT:
Thames Talbot Land Trust (TTLT) is an environmental charity with a mission to protect, restore, and nurture nature within Elgin, Middlesex, Oxford and Perth counties and the City of London. Established in 2000, TTLT has built a dedicated network of staff, volunteers, and community partners who work together to conserve important natural and agricultural lands and inspire a connection to nature at the local level. TTLT permanently protects more than 2,600 acres of land across 32 sites (and counting), which are home to more than 100 species at risk. As one of the first land trusts to receive the Conservation Excellence Award from the Centre for Land Conservation, we are committed to striving towards a greener future for all living beings.
The Greenlands Conservation Partnership program is the single largest provincial fund to secure and manage private, ecologically important land in Ontario. This unique program, administered by the Ontario Land Trust Alliance, leverages non-governmental dollars to acquire, restore and manage privately owned natural areas such as wetlands, grasslands and forests. For every dollar of provincial funding provided, grant recipients match it with a minimum of $2 from other conservation partners, including individual donors, foundations and other levels of government. Since 2020, the Ontario government has invested $58 million into the program, which has helped to protect over 437,000 acres (over 177,000 hectares) of private land across the province — more than 2.75 times the size of Toronto.
Over $11.7M in funding will be provided from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC)’s Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund (NSCSF) to OLTA and its partners to support nature-based projects that promote carbon storage and capture while providing important habitat for species at risk and/or species of cultural and local importance. This is part of the $1.4 billion that Canada has invested in the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund. These funds will be matched from other sources including individual donations and foundation support, as well as other levels of government.
Ontario Land Trust Alliance (OLTA) focuses on providing community, knowledge sharing, and support to land trusts across Ontario. It empowers and supports highly effective, well-governed land trusts that engage their communities to protect forests, wetlands, nature, and water sources and provide natural climate solutions. OLTA builds capacity through training and educational programs, connecting land trusts to each other, resources, and their communities, leading and supporting on-the-ground conservation work, sharing knowledge and best practices, reducing financial barriers to land conservation, promoting organizational excellence, providing access to current research, and acting as a voice for land trusts among the public, governments, and other rightsholders. OLTA’s impact is Ontario-wide through 56 connected charities and communities. Local land trust members currently collectively own and steward over 2,000 natural areas and green spaces across Ontario, with the leadership of thousands of supporters and volunteers annually. To support your local land trust, visit OLTA.ca.
Carolinian Canada Coalition is a network of leaders growing healthy landscapes for a green future in the Carolinian Zone, Canada’s extraordinary far south, in the spirit and practice of reconciliation. They connect science, community, and business for healthy ecosystems and climate-smart neighbourhoods from Toronto to Windsor, Ontario.
LEARN MORE:
Visit: https://www.thamestalbotlandtrust.ca/
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CONTACT:
Daria Koscinski
Executive Director
Thames Talbot Land Trust
[email protected]
519-858-3442