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n the gift of landHildebrandt & Davis Nature ParkBy Gloria HildebrandtIt’s official. I haveachieved one of the mostimportant goals of mylife. I have completedthe process of placing aconservation easementon my family’s property.Now, the 14 acres oftrails, pond, wetland, karst,hill, cedar and deciduousforests, which were givento me by my father inhis will, are protected forperpetuity. That means thatno matter who owns theproperty in future, it can’t besubdivided, developed, clearcut, misused or have manyother specific wrongs doneto it. It will remain habitatfor wildlife and plants, atleast until evil politiciansdestroy land trusts, eliminateprotective restrictionsor expropriate the land,although that would befought by the conservationagency I deal with.I still own the land, andcan sell or give it away as Ilike. The protections remainon the land regardless. It isstill private property, andpeople are only allowedon it by invitation.My father bequeathedthe land to me becausehe knew that my love forit was similar to his. Heregistered the property withthe provincial governmentas a Managed Forest andmaintained it according toan approved plan, which Ihave also taken over. He wasa naturalist, conservationist,gardener, hiker, wildernessexplorer and excursionleader. He, CharlesHildebrandt, has a BruceTrail Side Trail named afterhim. He used to talk of hisproperty as a nature reserve,and to have it officiallyrecognized as such, wouldhave given him great pride.The ProcessIt has required patience andquite a bit of time, yearsactually, to get to this point.COVID-19 delayed thingssomewhat. The first stepwas hammering out thespecific conditions in theconservation agreementwith Escarpment BiosphereConservancy (EBC), aland conservation agencyand a regular, long-timeadvertiser in this magazine.Bob Barnett of EBC, whoregularly writes a columnon land conservation forus, steered me throughthe process. Severalreports were requiredafter I was happy with theconservation agreement.An ecological sensitivityreport was preparedafter experts came for atour and exploration ofthe property. The reportlisted these at-risk speciesthat have been observedon the land by variouspeople: Western ChorusFrog, Eastern Milksnake,Red-bellied Woodpecker,Monarch Butterfly andthe Butternut tree.The report also gave thesummary “The propertycontributes to Canada’senvironmental heritage dueto the fact that the propertycontains forest, wetland andstream which provide habitatfor a variety of flora andfauna such as those listedas at risk species and thenumerous species identifiedin the species inventory.Additionally, having thesemultiple ecosystem featureson the property contributesto the maintenance ofecosystem health andlandscape biodiversity.”Another necessary reportwas the valuation of theconservation agreementon the property, or howmuch the restrictions on42 Niagara Escarpment Views • spring 2021Part of one of the Escarpment outcroppings on the property, withMayapples growing in spring. My father referred to this area as a natural rockgarden. PHOTO BY GLORIA HILDEBRANDT.the property might lowerits real estate value.Environment Canadareviewed the appraisal of theproperty, and then sent mea notice of determinationof fair market value of thisecological gift. I will benefitfrom an income tax receiptbecause of the agreement.Finally, the lawyersregistered the conservationagreement on the propertytitle.According to EBC, it istheir 189th reserve, theirfirst to be established inHalton Region and at thetime of this writing, alsotheir southernmost reserve.What’s in a NameHildebrandt & Davis NaturePark recognizes my birthfamily and the steadfastcontributions of Mike Davis,whose relentless pursuitof invasive plant specieson the land is matchedby his appreciation andenjoyment of the land.The word “park” is anacknowledgement of mymother who said that herproperty was so pretty itseemed like a city park. Thiswas a high complimentfrom someone who wouldhave preferred to live in adowntown area, but whocame to enjoy daily walks onher rural property, feedingchickadees from her hand,and sitting on a bench onthe hill. A commemorativebench with her name on itnow stands in that spot.How We Got HereIt’s worth noting that when myparents bought the propertyin 1963, it was a rocky pieceof farmland used to grazebeef cattle. Natural springsin one part of the land werea muddy watering hole. Myfather let the land regeneratenaturally while plantingsome specimen trees. He hadthe muddy area enlarged,letting the spring water forma pond. Now, 57 years later,this land has become a plantand wildlife refuge forever.Gloria Hildebrandt is co-founder,co-publisher and editor ofNiagara Escarpment Views.
community market nHALTON,HAMILTON,NIAGARAMILTON ▼FLAMBOROUGH-GLANBROOK ▼Proud to represent a ridingthat includes the beautyof the Niagara EscarpmentDavid Sweet, M.P.1654 Wilson StreetJerseyville, ON L0R 1R0905 648 3850 | DavidSweet.caHAMILTON ▼VINELAND ▼Bob Bratina, M.P.Hamilton East-Stoney Creek42 King St. E. Unit 2,Stoney Creek L8G 1K1Bob.bratina@parl.gc.ca • 905-662-4763Proud supporter of the Niagara EscarpmentPicnic lunches availableCall ahead to order, pick upbefore hike or come in for lunch!GF & Gourmet Cheese4600 Victoria Ave., Vineland289.567.0487 | goculinary.caNIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE ▼lakeshoreantiques & treasures6,400 sq 6,400 ft sq of ft of 6,400 fine antiques sq.ft. & of collectables & sam.oosterhoffco@pc.ola.orgfine antiques & collectables855 Lakeshore 855 Lakeshore Road, Road, rr rr #3, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0 ON L0S Beamsville 1J0 Constituency Offi ce855 lakeshore road, rr #34961 King Street East,niagara-on-the-lake, Open Open Daily 10-5 www.lakeshoreantiques.caon l0s 1j0 Unit M1Beamsville, ON L0R 1B0905-646-1965open daily 10-5www.lakeshoreantiques.ca 1-800-665-3697 / 905-563-1755905-646-1965CITY ▼3.5” 3.5” x x 2” Business Open Thurs Card - Sun Card10 am - 4:30 pm(Pink outline (Pink is outline to show is to show where where business card Year will Round will be cut, be pink cut, outline pink MANITOULIN will outline not print) will ISLAND not print)antiques & treasureslakeshore6,400 sq ft of fine antiques & collectables855 Lakeshore Road, rr #3, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0www.lakeshoreantiques.caPrudhommesque Market40 Permanent VendorsAlso Holiday Monday’sNiagara’s Only Lakefront Antique MarketOverlooking Lake OntarioMulti Vendor Outdoor Market May - Oct.3125 N.Service Rd Vineland.ON L0R 2E0Between Exits 55 & 57 On QEW(905)-562-5187Open Daily 10-5905-646-1965NIAGARA WEST ▼SamOosterhoff, MPPNiagara Escarpment Ad - Fall 2018 - 59.6x59.2mm.indd 2020-10-21 112:10 PMCITY ▼Niagara WestProud Supporter ofthe Niagara Escarpmentwww.samoosterhoffmpp.ca(Pink outline is to show where business card will be cut, pink outline will not print)CardBusiness 2” x 3.5”KAGAWONG ▼Bridal Veil VarietyNIGHTLY ROOMS AVAILABLEGas, Grocery, SouvenirsPizzas, Meatball SandwichesCoffee Shop, BreakfastHuge Variety of Ice CreamLCBO agency storeOPEN YEAR ROUNDHwy 540, Kagawong | (705) 282-2593MANITOWANING ▼MYINNMANITOULIN ISLAND8 BEAUTIFUL ROOMS EACHWITH KITCHENETTE & FIREPLACEHOSTS: Betty-Anne & Wayne MacDougall705.859.3115. myfriendsinn@hotmail.comwww.myfriendsinn.com151 Queen St., PO Box 160, Manitowaning, ON P0P 1N0MINDEMOYA ▼18 Deluxe UnitsSatellite HD TVs & Free WIFIToll free: 1-877-270-0551info@manitoulininn.caMindemoya, Ontario (Central Manitoulin)www.manitoulininn.caspring 2021 • Niagara Escarpment Views 43
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Page 5 and 6: View From the Editor’s Desk nWhat
Page 7 and 8: Find out how to claim your25% Rebat
Page 9 and 10: n readers & viewersThere are organi
Page 11 and 12: CALEDON TRAILWAYThe Caledon Trailwa
Page 13 and 14: The distinctivelooking gates atroad
Page 15 and 16: TWOLOCATIONSTOSERVE YOU!Apples are
Page 17 and 18: The largest green space on the sout
Page 19 and 20: The “Marsh Master” was critical
Page 21 and 22: HOTO BY KEVIN MCLAUGHLIN.Come and E
Page 23 and 24: The Grimsby Wetlands,638 Winston Rd
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Page 27 and 28: Doug Sloan climbs down a ladderfrom
Page 29 and 30: Cin Johnston loves all the moss and
Page 31 and 32: Jen Van Tiggelen’sGolden Retrieve
Page 33 and 34: Stone Edge EstateBed & Breakfast, G
Page 35 and 36: The Sunken Garden hasbeen created w
Page 37 and 38: A close look at the Weeping Purple
Page 39 and 40: Soul Metal created this installatio
Page 41: acton, georgetown community market
Page 45 and 46: community market nHEADWATERSErinHea
Page 47 and 48: lemon poppy seed loafPrep Time: 10

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