Size: 100 acres

Established: 2005

Protected by: Eric & Marsha Eberhardt

Status: Not Open to the Public

Protection: Conservation Easement Agreement

Photo by Payton Landsborough

Background:

Located in the Municipality of East Perth, this is TTLTs first Conservation Easement Agreement. In signing this agreement, Eric and Marsha Eberhardt sought to fulfill the wishes of Hamitage Richardson who entrusted the land to their care. The Richardson family began the work of restoring the site, which was, by all accounts, particularly barren at the turn of the century. In 1910, the Richardsons embarked on an 80-year effort that transformed the face of the farm. Today, the nature reserve stands as a testament to the remarkable stewardship efforts of these two families. In the 1990s, 30,000 trees and shrubs were planted with the assistance of area school children and Scouts.

Approximately 30 acres are devoted to the production of certified organic grains and vegetables, with each of its three fields surrounded by hedgerows. An 8-acre former pasture at the back of the land was reforested in the 1920s and is recognized as one of the oldest reforestation efforts of its kind in southwestern Ontario.

Description:

While the site was formerly grazed, several of the original Sugar Maple and Beech trees survive to this date, and much of the native ground cover, including a variety of spring ephemerals, has regenerated and is now well re-established. The arrangement and variety of species planted, including Cherry, Walnut, Ash, Basswood and Pine, give the site a distinctly "natural" appearance. Most of the balance of the nature reserve has been allowed to regenerate to natural cover over the past few decades and features many early successional species including Ash and Elm.