A continuous band of forest lines both sides of Cedar Creek over much of the 524-ha site. Tributaries of the creek flow through the rolling landscape in places though, there are dramatic 10-m high ravines. Located just west of Kingsville in Essex County, the area includes high-quality upland forest and rich floodplain woods along the creek's tributaries.
The Balkwill farm, in the town of Kingsville, has been in the same family since the 1920s. In April 2004, brothers Bill and Jack Balkwill contacted the Canada South Land Trust (CSLT) and indicated their wish to donate a conservation easement on their 16-ha woodlot -- a rich Carolinian forest and home to the rare Southern Flying Squirrel -- to the newly established land trust. When negotiations are complete, this will be CSLT's first donated conservation easement -- and one more important thread in the cloth weaving Carolinian Canada protection together. For more information on the Canada South Land Trust, see www.canadasouthlandtrust.org.
When the 38 Carolinian Canada "Critical Unprotected Natural Areas" were first identified in 1984, the Cedar Creek site was the largest remaining unprotected forest in Essex County. Now thanks to seven landowners, more than 60% of the forest is protected through National Heritage Stewardship Agreements (taken from the Carolinian Canada Signature Sites Guide by Lorraine Johnson 2005). |
