Your Land Your Legacy: SNC Accepting Land Donations
Do you own idle land, and are passionate about protecting the local environment? Have you ever thought about what kind of legacy you want to leave for future generations?
South Nation Conservation (SNC) is inviting residents from across its 4,384 square-kilometer jurisdiction in Eastern Ontario to consider donations of land as their natural heritage legacy.
As a member of the Ontario Land Trust Alliance, SNC is also approved to accept donations of land through Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program, which can provide significant financial benefits to donors.
SNC receives over 50 acres of land through donation each year, adding to the nearly 13,000 acres of Community Land owned and managed by SNC staff.
SNC uses donated lands to protect natural features, improve forest cover, ensure healthy and safe waterways, and provide public recreational areas.
“Land donations provide benefits to donors and our communities,” explains Pat Piitz, SNC’s Properties Lead. “We pride ourselves on managing lands effectively to help ensure a healthy environment for future generations to come.”
Recent land donations to SNC include properties in Edwardsburgh/Cardinal and the City of Ottawa, as well as the Oschmann Forest in North Dundas and the Reveler Conservation Area in North Stormont.
In 2017, George Oschmann donated his family forest to SNC in memory of his wife Gertrude. The forest was actively managed for maple syrup production by the Oschmann Family until the early 2000’s.
Through fundraising initiatives and municipal partnerships, SNC rendered the donated forest fit to again offer demonstrations of maple syrup production. Today the Oschmann Forest is the home of the Conservation Authority’s Maple Syrup Education Program for local youth.
Donors can choose the legacy that they wish to leave; SNC manages these conservation lands in perpetuity, donors decide how their lands are to be managed.
In addition to environmental and social benefits, ecological gifts can also provide economic benefits to the donor through tax incentives; in the case of easements, title is maintained by the owners.
“The gift of ecologically significant land is the gift that keeps on giving,” added Piitz. “You can count on us to make a difference and carry your legacy.”
Residents interested in donating land to SNC can visit www.nation.on.ca for more information, or contact Pat Piitz at ppiitz@nation.on.ca, 1-877-984-2948.
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