NCC receives another gift of land in Happy Valley Forest

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has recently accepted a donation of 30 acres in the Happy Valley Forest, northwest of King City on the Oak Ridges Moraine.

The wooded property has been generously donated by Eddie Creed of Schomberg and his wife Edie to expand the existing NCC nature reserve lands in the forest.

"This is a wonderful gift," said Mark Stabb, NCC's Central Ontario program manager, who works on the project. "I know I speak for all the local landowners, volunteers and conservation partners who have been working since 2000 to protect this remarkable forest, when I say how grateful we are to the Creeds for donating this high quality piece of land. It is a significant milestone on the road to protecting the core of the Happy Valley Forest."

The Happy Valley Forest, which is home to rare and endangered bird species, is considered an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI) by the province. It is connected to one of the largest forest systems in York Region and protects the headwaters of streams flowing south to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), as well as to points in the north and the east. So far, NCC and its supporters have protected almost 250 acres there.

The securement of the Creed property was done with the assistance of The Regional Municipality of York and the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation, whose contributions covered associated and stewardship costs.

Eddie and Edie Creed are long-time residents of the Happy Valley who have a fine equestrian operation on their farm in Schomberg. Creed has served for many years as president of the Tournament of Champions, and was cofounder of the Four Seasons Hotel along with Issy Sharp and Murray Koffler.

The Creeds have long enjoyed the mature beech, sugar maple, black cherry and white ash trees that blanket the back of their property, and in the spring of 2005 they decided it was time to place the area under conservation protection.

"This Forest is a part of our community and a piece of Ontario's heritage," Creed said of his donation. "Won't it be wonderful for future generations of Canadians to visit this place and see the Forest reaching maturity? It's our pleasure to be able to contribute to that vision. I hope this gift inspires others to do the same."

The Happy Valley Forest is close to becoming an oldgrowth forest - a rarity in southern Ontario, where most of the province's remaining forests have been cut or harvested at some point in the last 100 years. The trees on the Creed property are in excellent health, according to NCC. Some of them have circumferences of 80cm or more, and will form an important part of the old-growth forest of the future.

NCC is a national non-profit conservation organization that works with landowners to protect Canada's natural habitats. Its plan of action is to build partnerships and develop creative conservation solutions with individuals, corporations, community groups, conservation groups and government agencies. Since 1962, NCC and its supporters have helped to protect more than 1.9 million acres of ecologically significant land across Canada.