Preserving Nature, Forever
The Escarpment Corridor Alliance (ECA) is a regional conservation land trust, able to adopt new tools to preserve and restore ecologically important land across South Georgian Bay. With a strong local focus, the organization inspires landholders to take conservation action and protect important natural areas. The goal is to help restore ecological connectivity along the Niagara Escarpment that supports biodiversity, climate resilience, and meaningful access to nature.
As a land trust, the ECA can protect land through land title or conservation easement agreements, ensuring these properties remain preserved in perpetuity and even restoring them over time. Through Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program, and provisions in the Income Tax Act, landholders who donate ecologically sensitive land may qualify for:
- Exemptions from capital gains tax
- Income tax credits that can be carried forward for up to 10 years
- The opportunity to create a lasting conservation legacy
By working in partnership with landholders, donors, funding partners, and conservation organizations, the ECA is helping safeguard the natural heritage of South Georgian Bay for generations to come.
Reconnecting an Ecological Corridor
The ECA becoming a land trust builds on nearly four years of community engagement, advocacy, and research, including months of science-based corridor planning across its 212,000-hectare Area of Influence. The objective is to connect key natural areas across the Niagara Escarpment of South Georgian Bay region, reduce threats to wildlife habitat, support and restore ecosystem health, and ensure long-term ecological resilience.
“Our intention is to complement and expand on the great work that others have been doing for decades.” – Jarvis Strong, Executive Director
The Bruce Trail Conservancy and the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy are established conservation leaders who inspire us every day. A locally focused land trust helps ensure that important natural areas are protected while responding to the unique ecological priorities and opportunities within South Georgian Bay.
Land Securement Projects
In December 2025, the ECA secured its first nature preserve, Sandy’s Summit, near Kolopore. Sandy’s Summit is an ecologically important 10-hectare (24-acre) property located within Treaty 18 of 1818 signed with the Chippewa Tri-Council (Rama, Beausoleil, and Georgina Island First Nations), and is within the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation.
The property contributes to ecological connectivity near Duncan Escarpment Provincial Park and strengthens ecological resilience along the Bruce Trail corridor. Like many properties along the Niagara Escarpment, the site features diverse habitat types that support abundant and complex wildlife and plant communities, ecological functioning, and species at risk, while also contributing to climate resilience and watershed health.
As additional properties are preserved, this growing network of protected lands will help create a lasting conservation legacy across the region.
Support Land Protection
Donations to the Land Securement Fund directly support conservation action across South Georgian Bay. Contributions help:
- Secure vital habitats for wildlife and species at risk to create a lasting conservation legacy
- Fund direct land and associated costs (legal, appraisal, land transfer tax)
- Staff time for Land Securement, Stewardship, Restoration and Science projects
- Strengthen the ECA’s Regional Stewardship Endowment Fund, for ongoing land management costs
Work With the ECA
The ECA welcomes conversations with:
- Landholders interested in learning about conservation options
- Donors wishing to support land protection
- Community members passionate about nature
- Organizations interested in partnership opportunities
As a new land trust, the ECA has ambitious goals: to connect and protect a nature corridor across South Georgian Bay. Each property strengthens this shared vision and contributes to a healthier, more resilient landscape.
Contact
Jarvis Strong, Executive Director
[email protected] | 705-441-3346
Together, a lasting legacy can be created for nature, for people, and for generations.
Frequently Asked Questions
A land trust is a charitable organization that works with landholders, donors, and communities to permanently preserve important natural areas. Land trusts conserve land by acquiring property or by establishing legal agreements that ensure the ecological features of a property are protected forever.
The ECA expanded to become a land trust to help accelerate conservation across South Georgian Bay. Through conversations with landholders, community members, and conservation partners, we identified the need for a locally focused organization that can protect key ecological lands and help connect natural areas along the Niagara Escarpment. Our work complements the long-standing efforts of organizations such as the Bruce Trail Conservancy and Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy.
Land trusts protect land in two primary ways:
Land Title: The land trust purchases or receives donated property and ensures it is protected and stewarded in perpetuity.
Conservation easement agreements: A voluntary legal agreement between a landholder and the land trust that protects the natural features of a property while allowing the owner to retain title.
Both approaches ensure the ecological value of the land is conserved for future generations.
A conservation easement is a voluntary, legally binding agreement that limits certain types of development in order to protect the natural features of a property. The landowner continues to own the land and may still sell or pass it on to future owners, while the conservation values remain protected.
Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program is a program administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada that encourages conservation by providing tax benefits to landholders who donate ecologically sensitive land or conservation easements. Eligible donors may receive:
exemption from capital gains tax on the donated land
income tax credits that can be carried forward for up to 10 years
recognition for supporting conservation in Canada
Properties are evaluated based on ecological importance using a robust set of criteria including connectivity to existing protected areas, presence of species at risk, provincial designations (such as Provincially Significant Wetlands or Areas of Natural and Scientists Interest), Natural Heritage System Planning, and other local habitat features that indicate their ability to contribute to a broader conservation corridor. The ECA uses science-based planning tools and collaborates with conservation partners to identify priority opportunities.
Public access depends on the characteristics of each property and the conservation goals associated with it. In addition to conservation, expanding public access to nature is a key goal of the ECA’s work. Some properties may include existing trails, connected to portions of the Bruce Trail, while others may be protected primarily for habitat conservation.
You can support land protection by:
donating to the Land Securement Fund
making a one-time or recurring gift
contributing a major gift
including conservation in your legacy giving plans
helping raise awareness about conservation opportunities by following the ECA on Instagram and Facebook
Every contribution helps protect important natural areas across South Georgian Bay.