Frog Monitoring in the Haliburton Highlands

Frog Monitoring in the Haliburton Highlands

Abbey Struyk, Emma Phillips, and Matt Susac

Haliburton Highlands Land Trust, Greg Wickware

Tom Whillans

2021

on-line

Haliburton County

Environmental Studies, Monitoring

The Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT) is a nonprofit organization that owns and protects approximately 1300 acres of land in Haliburton County, Ontario. Five separate properties constitute the land trust, including the Dahl Forest, Smith Forest, Norah’s Island, Fred & Pearl Barry Wetland Reserve, and Barnum Creek Nature Reserve. Land trusts are instrumental in the conservation of native flora and fauna, and are often focused on the protection of a specific type of habitat (Brewer, 2003). The HHLT is unique in that all four types of wetlands (marsh, bog, fen, and swamp) are found on the properties (Haliburton Highlands Land Trust – 2020 Climate Change Project, 2021). Natural wetlands are crucial as they act as sinks for carbon sequestration (Mitsch, 2013), and play an active role in the cycling of important nutrients like nitrogen (Fennessy, Rokosch & Mack, 2008). Wetlands also provide habitats for a variety of animals including mammals like beavers and minks, rare bird species, and a range of amphibians (Gibbs, 2000). Knowing this, the HHLT has made great strides in the conservation of many animals that call their property home. From bats to turtles, the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust has orchestrated many projects focused on the monitoring and protection of Ontario’s native species.

Trent University