Large bequest to NCC celebrated in King
By Bill Rea

The late Roberta Langtry had an affinity for the Oak Ridges Moraine, and people travelling its trails in the Happy Valley Forest in King are going to know about it.

Members of the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) were in the Happy Valley at the end of the southern component of the 7th Concession Road Thursday morning to unveil a plaque in her memory.

Miss Langtry was a teacher and speech therapist in the East York school system for more than 55 years, as well as a keen naturalist and philanthropist. She passed away a year ago August, at the age of 89, and left NCC $4.3 million in her will.

Mark Stabb, program manager in Central Ontario with NCC, told the audience Thursday this was the largest single bequest the conservancy has ever received, adding it's "proud and humbled" by it.

He added executors of Miss Langtry's estate, along with her friends, have helped look for ways to make the gift wide-ranging across the country. Stabb said he's looking forward to more announcements from NCC.

"She will continue to touch the lives of future generations of Canadians," he declared, adding Miss Langtry felt strongly about the work NCC has been doing and wanted it to continue.

"It's not hard to understand why Miss Langtry had such a fondness for the Oak Ridges Moraine," commented NCC Ontario Board member Serena Raab Goitanich.

She went through some of the history of the Happy Valley site, observing that First Nations people travelled the area as part of the carrying Place Trail between Lakes Ontario and Simcoe. She pointed out the area is now one of the largest remaining deciduous forests on the moraine, and supports many different species, including some 110 varieties of breeding birds.

"Some of the greatest riches we have to pass on to our children is clean air, clean water and the natural spaces that make the other two possible," Goitanich remarked. She added NCC is working in locations all over the country to make sure "natural masterpieces are safeguarded for my children and yours."

Dr. Henry Barnett, a resident of the 7th Concession, had other details to offer on the wonders of the forest, which he called "a place of splendor and wonder."

The features include mature hardwood trees 100 years old or more, and he expressed the hope that some of the bequest will be used to secure more of the forest.

Bob Borden, executor of Miss Langtry's estate, was also her financial advisor, and she took an active interest in creating a legacy, as well as an interest in the moraine.

"As long as she was able, she drove up here to keep an eye on things," he remarked.