Collaboration helps all of us do more

Farmers are significant landowners in Ontario. Not only do they grow and harvest our food, they are the caretakers for millions of acres of land.

Many farmers have committed to approach the natural spaces on their farms with the same consideration they give to the working spaces.

DUC relies on these farmers as partners in conservation. They provide access to their land to restore and conserve the wetland habitats that are core to our mandate. In return, we provide technical advice and assist farmers who are interested in enhancing habitat features on their marginal lands.

One of our longstanding farm partners is the Victoria County Community Pasture (VCCP) in the Kawartha Lakes region in eastern Ontario. The VCCP is 2,200 acres (890 hectares) of rural pasture available to 50 area farmers for summer gazing for about 1,200 yearling cattle. The farmer-run management board has embraced both ecological stewardship and farmer education.

Community pastures provide rotational grazing so local farmers can expand their operations without needing to purchase more land. The VCCP is one of 11 pastures in Ontario established in the 1960s by the federal government and now owned by the Association of Community Pastures.

DUC joined up with the VCCP in the early 1990s to protect 36 acres (15 hectares) of restored wetlands and 62 acres (25 hectares) of adjacent uplands for nesting birds. This past summer, DUC completed some needed maintenance to the earthen dykes and water-control structures at the site—essential repairs to keep the habitat flourishing—and created a new pair pond for breeding birds.