China Cove
China Cove, ON. Photo by Esme Batten/NCC staff.
Help protect a biodiversity hotspot in southern Ontario
World-renowned for its diversity of plants and wildlife, clear turquoise waters along stunning rocky and sandy shorelines, and its rich forests, the Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula is a ‘hot spot’ for biodiversity in the Great Lakes basin.
The Saugeen Peninsula is one of the most ecologically significant regions of the Great Lakes basin. Nearly 70% of the Peninsula supports expansive coniferous, mixed and deciduous forests. These forests protect a wide range of plants, including the highest diversity of orchids north of Florida, as well as wildlife such as black bears and raptors, while sustaining important migratory pathways and breeding habitat for birds.
The Peninsula is also home to globally rare alvars – habitats that experience periods of freezing, flooding, drought and heat. A unique suite of plants and animals have adapted to survive these extreme conditions, such as the dwarf lake iris, Hill’s thistle, and eastern Massasauga rattlesnake.
The Saugeen Peninsula boasts sandy beaches, coastal and inland wetlands, and dunes. These habitats play a critical role in sustaining an incredible diversity of species and providing important ecosystem services for communities. These include absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, filtering water, and mitigating floods.
China Cove, ON. Photo by Esme Batten/NCC staff.
But increasing development pressures, resource extraction and invasive species are putting these places and the species that rely on them at risk.
NCC and our partners have been working to protect and care for ecologically significant lands and waters in this area for over 20 years and have helped conserve over 7,100 hectares of ecologically significant habitat here. We invite you to join us in protecting the Saugeen Peninsula.
Quick facts
- Area protected by NCC: To date, over 2000 hectares
- Location: Surrounded by Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, the Saugeen Peninsula is part of the Niagara escarpment
- Habitat type: Forests, alvars, wetlands, and coastal habitat
- Species: Black bear, fisher, northern myotis bat, eastern Massasauga rattlesnake, dwarf lake iris, Hill’s thistle, ram’s-head lady’s-slipper, lakeside daisy, queensnake, eastern prairie white-fringed orchid, groove-stem Indian-plantain
- Current priority: China Cove (29 ha)
Current conservation opportunities
NCC has an ambitious goal to conserve an additional 1,600 hectares over the next three years, which will further expand wildlife corridors, protect sensitive habitats, and provide opportunities for people to connect with nature.
NCC is also working alongside the Saugeen Ojibway Nation and local partner organizations to steward and care for NCC lands, partner lands, and private lands across the Peninsula. This work includes a large-scale effort to map and control invasive species such as invasive phragmites, before these populations have the chance to take over more native habitat, as well as conducting species surveys, managing trails, and welcoming people onto NCC lands to connect with this beautiful part of Ontario.
Basking juvenile midland painted turtle. Photo by Simon Boudreault/NCC staff.
China Cove
NCC has an exciting opportunity to protect an additional 29-hectares of habitat that is criticalfor wildlife on the Peninsula in an area known as China Cove. Boasting almost one kilometer of undeveloped Lake Huron shoreline and intact forests and wetlands, the China Cove property is a hub for life providing habitat for at risk species including Hill’s thistle and midland painted turtle. This spectacular property is under threat and has been divided into seven building lots ready for development. We need your help to raise the required funds by next year to ensure wildlife and people can continue to thrive here.
A natural legacy
When it comes to conserving Canada’s most important natural areas, protecting land is just the beginning. Stewardship — caring for the land for the long term — is at the heart of what we do. Every property we protect is monitored and managed so that the ecosystems are maintained, and species thrive. This can include mapping and removing invasive species, restoring wetlands, grasslands and forests, monitoring for species at risk, planting native species, building trails or installing signage.
To continue to care for the natural areas we protect, NCC has created a Stewardship Endowment Fund. This fund provides annual support for our priority stewardship work across Ontario. Annual benefits from the endowment fund are used to pay the costs necessary to ensure efficient and long-term, science-based management of lands under NCC’s care.
NCC may direct all or a portion of gifts committed to this project to NCC’s Stewardship Endowment Fund for Ontario. Revenue generated by the Stewardship Endowment Fund provides for long-term management on properties across the province, including those on the Saugeen Peninsula. Up to 10 per cent of your gift may support activities that advance NCC’s mission in Ontario.
