Thousand Islands Watershed Land Trust secures Red Horse Highlands for $1.5 million
by: Susan W. Smith
You know how you feel when you get good news about an old friend? Well, that is exactly how I felt when I saw the good news about the Thousand Islands Watershed Land Trust. Throughout the years that I was involved with the Thousand Islands Land Trust in Clayton, NY, the Canadian land trust kept me appraised of their great strides. Two summers ago, I visited their farm, Glen Elbe, near Athens, ON, and had a delightful tour and tea!
Last year, I knew they were working hard to acquire the 360 acre-[146 hectare] Red Horse Highlands to preserve a particular property described as "biologically rich and ecologically vital landscape". Several news outlets have announced this "happening," but when I read it for myself, I knew it was an amazing accomplishment for this group of volunteers and their staff members who care so much about the area known as the Frontenac Arch Biosphere.
Photographs of the newly protected property by Deb Lace-Kelly, communications TIWLT
How this all happened reads like a story book.
The project was a win but a daunting prospect, with a fundraising goal 200% larger than the largest project in TIWLT’s history at that time. By early November 2025, the response from the community was nothing short of extraordinary. Local individual supporters rallied behind the cause, contributing over $400,000 toward the project - nearly 30% of the total cost of conservation.
Their generosity pushed the campaign over its fundraising goal and allowed TIWLT to move forward with the acquisition, ensuring this ecologically significant property is protected for generations to come - which as they say is their logo tag line: "4ever!“
Once the trust demonstrated their commitment to the project, they were able to turn to other funding bodies described in their press release:
Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks, through the Greenlands Conservation Partnership administered through the Ontario Land Trust Alliance
Wildlife Habitat Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, through the Natural Heritage Conservation Program - Land Trust Conservation Fund
Conservation Accelerator (OCA), and the charitable funders who contributed through them: the Schad Foundation, the ECHO Foundation, and The Waltons Trust.
Several quotes appeared in the press release, but it was their executive director, Calder Schweitzer, who summed it up:
“This has been exhilarating,". . "For TIWLT to take this big swing at a huge property, with a seven-figure price-tag, and a rapid fire deadline - all systems were go! For all of us. But then, to see the community rally around this goal in the mind-blowing way that they did - it has shown us just how important conservation and environmental protection is to a broad community here in Eastern Ontario.”
The Red Horse Highlands Property lies along the northwestern boundary of Charleston Lake Provincial Park in Eastern Ontario. With 2,000 feet of shoreline on the west side of Red Horse Lake, it occupies a central and ecologically significant position within the Frontenac Arch Biosphere - a globally recognized UNESCO region that connects the Adirondack Mountains to the Canadian Shield, with migrational movement that extends well beyond. Located just east of Lyndhurst, north-west of Brockville, north of Gananoque and the St. Lawrence River, and about an hour and a half south of Ottawa, this protected area helps preserve one of Canada’s most important migratory corridors for wildlife.
An accomplishment made possible by many individuals, environmental organizations, and Canadian government.
“By protecting this property, we’re safeguarding habitat for Gray Ratsnake, Black Ash and Butternut Trees, Wood Thrush, and Eastern Wood-Pewee. It’s also home to Bobcat, Black Bear, Fisher, Weasel, Deer, Coyote, Bald Eagle, and Barred Owl populations.”
Several quote in the press release are from government officials and concludes with:
Schweitzer’s enthusiasm for the project is echoed throughout the Land Trust, from the Board of Directors who champion its protection to the biologists who study the land. TIWLT Head Wildlife Biologist Maggie Stevenson, identified many of the interesting and at-risk species on the property, noting their significance. The Red Horse Highlands encompass 360 acres [146 hectares] of quintessential Frontenac Arch terrain - a dramatic landscape of pink granite ridges and valleys, elevated wetlands, mixed forests, and striking cliff-top vistas. This ecologically rich mosaic provides critical habitat for numerous species at risk.
By Susan W. Smith, Editor, info@thousandislandslife.com
