We did it! Thank you for being a part of this unique opportunity to create more nature in our community!

Thames Talbot Land Trust (TTLT) and Long Point Basin Land Trust (LPBLT) are thrilled to announce the successful completion of the Hawk Cliff Woods: Expanding Nature's Horizons campaign. This campaign supports a new 30-hectare project that expands the natural area at the north end of Hawk Cliff Woods, an existing TTLT nature reserve on the shores of Lake Erie in Elgin County.

The project is the vision of Cheryl Barendregt whose family has lived and thrived on the land since the 1950’s. The farm was the family’s livelihood and the woods their classroom. Cheryl’s children, and now grandchildren, explore the woods and meadows, finding salamanders, admiring butterflies, and listening to bird song. Cheryl first collaborated with TTLT in 2016 to protect the 93-hectare block of mostly wooded ravines. This new project includes portions of the land restored to a vibrant and diverse natural habitat, complementing the existing woodland and meadow habitats, and completing the original vision of protecting and restoring the entirety of Hawk Cliff Woods.

Hawk Cliff Woods is home to a wide diversity of species including 15 species at risk, several of which benefit from the creation of additional habitat. Grasslands are some of the most endangered habitat types in Canada and this project created over 25 hectares of new grasslands, which provide a wide array of benefits to species, such as Monarch, Brown Myotis, and Bobolink, that rely on large blocks of this rare habitat. In addition, the restoration project provides services to the local community such as carbon sequestration, pollinator habitat, and recreational opportunities.

Photos courtesy of Brian Fehr and Cheryl Barendregt