Lake Simcoe Expands Holdings of Beaver River

December 1, 2009, Newmarket - The Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) expanded its ownership of ecologically sensitive lands by purchasing 66.4 hectares near the headwaters of the Beaver River. The property is located approximately two kilometers northeast of Uxbridge, in the Township of Scugog (south of Davis Drive, and east of Lake Ridge Road).

The addition of this land to the Beaver River Trail Conservation Area expands the conservation area, already LSRCA’s largest, to a total of 392.8 hectares or over 970 acres.

The purchase of these lands was made possible through the financial assistance of Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Regional Municipality of Durham.

“The Beaver River wetland complex is one of the most environmentally significant areas in the Lake Simcoe watershed”, says Virginia Hackson, Chair of the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority.

Largely undisturbed by human activities, the wetland complex contains an extensive area of cattail marsh which provides breeding habitat for species such as muskrat, common snipe, least bittern, waterfowl and many species of frogs. The wetland also helps filter the water flowing into Lake Simcoe and slows spring run-off to help prevent flooding downstream.

For these reasons, the Conservation Authority’s Natural Heritage Land Securement Program has created a plan to acquire land along the river to protect it in its natural state for future generations.

Media contact:

Susan Jagminas
A/Manager, Corporate Communications
Phone: 905 895.1281, ext 264
Email: s.jagminas@lsrca.on.ca