Creeds donate 30 of their acres in Happy Valley
By Bill Rea

Councillor Linda Pabst and Eddie Creed were looking over a map of Happy Valley Forest properties that are now protected for conservation.

King resident Eddie Creed has made a name for himself over the years in the horse industry, but he and his wife Edie were recognized last week for their contributions to protecting land from development.

Officials from York Region and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) gathered Thursday to celebrate the Creeds' donation of 30 acres (12 hectares) on the Oak Ridges Moraine. This is the latest in a series of several properties secured by NCC in the Happy Valley forest (in the area of the 7th Concession Road, between the 16th and 17th Sideroads).

Creed said he bought the property 35 years ago.

"Nobody can touch it, nobody can cut trees down, nobody can do anything for ever," he commented to reporters before the ceremonies.

Dr. Henry Barnett, who hosted the event on his neighbouring property, welcomed everyone to "one of my favourite spots on earth, the Happy Valley Forest."

This sign, which will be posted in the Happy Valley Forest, was unveiled Thursday at the ceremonies to acknowledge the donation of 30 acres by the Creed family. Eddie Creed is seen here with Donna Stewart, regional vice-president in Ontario for the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Dr. Henry Barnett, who hosted the event, and Mayor Margaret Black.

He observed that he had approached Creed about providing a conservation easement on his land, but was pleased when Creed indicated he would prefer to have NCC take it as a gift.

He also praised King Township for passing the necessary bylaw to close road allowances through the forest. He stated that fences are due to be erected along the roads to keep unwanted all-terrain vehicles out, "and serenity will return to this natural masterpiece."

Mayor Margaret Black observed they were "celebrating another successful chapter in protecting the Oak Ridges Moraine."

She added these conservation efforts are really a partnership between many people.

"The Oak Ridges Moraine is one of the largest natural heritage features in King Township and York Region," Black commented. "This generous donation of 12 hectares of wooded property by the Creeds represents another positive step to help preserve a natural legacy for future generations."

She also commented on the progress being made in the efforts to have 25 per cent of York covered with forest, adding they almost there in King. With a growing population in the areas surrounding King, Black observed that protecting these lands is "often an uphill battle." But she added with the help of NCC and people like the Creeds, "we are all making a difference and a change for the better."

John Riley, from the NCC national office, also commented on the progress that has been made in conserving land, and on the job that's still ahead.

He pointed out that 50 years ago, the moraine was about 10 per cent forest cover. Now it's up to about 30 per cent.

The Creed property joins several others that NCC and its partners have protected from development over the past few years, including the 32-hectare (78-acre) Barnett conservation easement, the 12-hectare (30-acre) Tasker conservation easement, the eight hectare (20-acre) Tasker property securement, the 10-hectare (25-acre) Izzard property donation and the 20-hectare (50-acre) purchase called the Langtry Nature Reserve.

"This donation marks a significant milestone on the road to protecting the core of the Happy Valley Forest," said Donna Stewart, NCC's regional vice-president in Ontario. "The trees on the Creed property are in excellent health, some with circumferences of 80 centimetres or more. Thanks to landowners like the Creeds, and conservation partners like York Region, the Happy Valley Forest is one step closer to becoming a model for old-growth forest ecology."

Happy Valley is home to more than 110 bird species, including the acadian flycatcher, the threatened hooded warbler and redshouldered hawk, and is home to numerous mammal and salamander species, including the jefferson salamander. It hosts an abundance of tree types, including sugar maples, beech, red maples, red oak, white ash, black cherry and eastern hemlock. While many of southern Ontario's hardwood forests have been harvested, sections of this forest have been left untouched for years, allowing it to develop an older-growth structure. To date nearly 100 hectares have been protected.

In addition to NCC and York Region, the Creed's donation was made possible with support from the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and NCC supporters who have contributed to associated and long-term stewardship costs for the property.