CONSERVATION MANITOU partners with NATURE CONSERVANCY OF CANADA To Acquire Barbara Richardson Wildlife Foundation Property
February 20, 2018 (Saint-Faustin-Lac-Carré, Quebec) – CONSERVATION MANITOU is pleased to announce that it has acquired, in co-ownership with NATURE CONSERVANCY OFCANADA, the 541-acre Barbara Richardson Wildlife Foundation property located in Saint-Faustin-Lac-Carré. This private nature reserve is located approximately 3 km west of Lake Manitou where CONSERVATION MANITOU is active and owns 680 acres of conservation lands, and 2 km south of lac Cornu. The partnership between the two organizations is a natural one because of the large protected forest areas each owns in the vicinity, which both partners view as being key to maintaining ecological connectivity in the region.
The Barbara Richardson Wildlife Foundation was created in 1969 to hold natural environments that the late Barbara Richardson wished to protect. The acquired property comprises two lakes, lac Caché and lac en Cœur, wetlands, streams, mountain peaks and a valley, which are home to a wide diversity of flora and fauna including several species that are threatened or vulnerable.
“We are honored to be partners with the NATURE CONSERVANCY OF CANADA, the leading land conservancy in the country. Our common goal is to protect ecologically significant areas and create a wildlife corridor in this part of the Laurentians, and the acquisition of the Barbara Richardson property fits perfectly with this objective.” states Stephen Takacsy, Chair of CONSERVATION MANITOU. “We are grateful to Barbara Richardson for her vision in purchasing and conserving this unique property, and to the trustees for ensuring its protection in perpetuity by transferring it to our two organizations.”
CONSERVATION MANITOU is a registered charity and qualified recipient of Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program. Its mission is to preserve and protect the ecosystem and natural environment of Lake Manitou and its surroundings, by acquiring land and conservation easements, either donated or purchased, and providing stewardship in perpetuity. It is one of the leading organizations dedicated to the preservation of natural areas in the Laurentians with approximately 1,220 acres of conservation lands under ownership located in the municipalities of Ivry-sur-le-Lac, Ste-Agathe-des-Monts and Saint-Faustin-Lac-Carré.