Photo: From left to right, Duncan Skinner, President St. Clair Region Conservation Foundation; Ian Toll; Karen Townsend; Steve Arnold, Chair St. Clair Region Conservation Authority

The Keith McLean Conservation Lands was officially opened in a ceremony held on Thursday, June 27. Mr. McLean, who passed away on November 20, 2012, donated his lands near Rondeau Bay to the St. Clair Region Conservation Foundation. “We discovered shortly after Keith’s death that he was donating his land and a sizeable trust fund to our Foundation. It is a great gift and a huge responsibility,” Duncan Skinner, President of the Foundation said.

“It truly is a remarkable gift,” Steve Arnold, Chair of the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority said. “Now it is our task and responsibility to see that this gift is transformed into the vision that Keith laid out for us.”

A few years prior to Mr. McLean’s death, he provided the Foundation with a letter of intent to donate his lands. In the letter, Mr. McLean laid out a challenge for the Foundation: “To accept this property and, with vision and foresight, enhance the beauty of this site, continuing the conservation effort for the benefit of wildlife and the general public.” Then he went on, “There may be many ideas and improvements that I have never imagined but always bear in mind that this is a place where the public should always feel warmly welcome.”

While the land was donated to the Foundation, the Conservation Authority, on behalf of the Foundation, will be managing this property. The first step will be the development of a management plan. In the fall, an open house will be held to seek input on the plan.

During his remarks, Mr. Arnold provided some ideas the Conservation Authority is pursuing.

• There are plans for an on-site overseer so the property can be maintained, its rules enforced, and the public welcomed.
• We could develop a model farm utilizing the latest in environmental best management practices while maintaining a viable farm operation.
• We could develop trails with interpretive signage about Mr. McLean’s legacy, the lands’ natural features, and the important role agriculture can play in reducing nutrients into Rondeau Bay.

We will be looking for opportunities to increase species diversity by enhancing existing habitats and creating new habitats throughout the property.

“The opportunities seem endless and will only be limited by our imaginations,” Arnold said.