Our Projects
The following projects in Muskoka have been funded through the purchase of Muskoka Envirocredits.
Pen Lake Farms
Nature Reserve Enhancement Project
The Pen Lake reserve is located
near Peninsula Lake east of Huntsville.
Pen Lake Farms Nature Reserve has a combination
of woodland (60%),
grassland/meadow (25%) and wetland
(15%) that supports a diverse community of wildlife. In
the woodland there is sub-carpet of jack-in-the-pulpit
that indicates significant biodiversity. A headwater
creek, designated Environmental Protected Zone, runs
through the property. This property could be linked with
other protected lands to protect a larger area.
Your Envirocredits will support the purchase of trees, preparation of the site, planting and tending the trees for twenty years. The project will, firstly, enhance the wetland area with wildlife supporting vegetation, including Highbush cranberry. Secondly, a buffer of mixed plantings will be developed at the eastern edge of the Trust property.
Rob Allen, horticulturalist and owner of Northway Gardeners who specializes in site restoration, will oversee a planting mix of trees and shrubs that will merge gently into wetter areas of the north-south gully. White spruce, Black spruce, Hawthorn, Trembling aspen and Nannyberry are some of the species to be considered.
Muskoka Envirocredits is pleased to announce the allocation of 40,000 trees to the Envirocredits Program by Trees Ontario under its 50 Million Tree Program.
Wetland
Evaluation Project 1
Wetlands affect
the levels of atmospheric carbon in two ways: First,
many wetlands are carbon reservoirs. Carbon is contained
in the standing crops of trees and other vegetation and
in litter, peats, organic soils and sediments which
have
been built up, in some instances, over thousands of
years.
Second, many
wetlands also continue to sequester carbon from the
atmosphere through photosynthesis by wetland plants;
many also act as sediment traps for carbon-rich
sediments from watershed sources.
Development and
site alteration is not permitted under the Provincial
Policy Statement in significant wetlands unless it has
been demonstrated that there will no negative impacts on
the natural features or ecological functions.
In Muskoka, very few wetlands have been evaluated
and therefore are not afforded this level of protection.
Your
Envirocredits will support the evaluation, local
stewardship and possible acquisition of 900 acres of
wetlands in the Bala area.