Nature Conservancy of Canada to protect 167 acres in Turkey Point Marsh

About 165 acres of marsh in Norfolk County, Ont., will enjoy long-term protection now that the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has purchased land at Turkey Point.

"We are in the forever business of protecting land," Kristyn Richardson, NCC program director for southwestern Ontario told CBC Hamilton. 

She said the NCC will come up with plans to protect species at risk and control invasive species at their new site, which used to be owned by a private hunt club.

Turkey Point Marsh is in a "biodiversity hotspot," Richardson said, as well as an "important stopover" for migratory birds and waterfowl.

According to the conservation organization, the marsh joins over 2,600 hectares of protected land in what is known as the Southern Norfolk Sand Plain Natural Area. The region's habitat includes the highest percentage of forest cover in southwestern Ontario, internationally significant wetlands and over 45 rare plants and animals, the NCC said on its website, making it a "critical area" to conserve.

The organization's work in the area includes connecting natural areas at Long Point and Turkey Point, along Big Creek and in areas around Backus Woods, the St. Williams Conservation Reserve and South Walsingham Sand Ridges. It also owns a patch of forest near Simcoe. 

Turkey Point Marsh is near a provincial park and a conservation reserve. One of the NCC's strategies is to purchase land near spaces that are already being conserved, creating a "buffer" for natural areas, Richardson said.

"These collective efforts help ensure a diverse and more resilient natural landscape, and conserve adequate space for species to feed, move, breed, nest and thrive throughout their life cycle," the NCC said in a news release. 

At this point, Richardson said, the NCC has not determined whether there will be public access to the marsh. There wasn't under the former owners, she said, but other NCC properties in the area are publicly accessible.