Thanks to a partnership with Community Foundations of Canada, individuals who donated to the Thames Talbot Land Trust Fund, a registered charity endowment fund, at London Community Foundation, over 2010 to 2011, saw their contribution matched dollar for dollar, up to $20,000.

“Our endowment fund helps support eight environmentally significant areas under our care,” says Don Gordon, the former executive director of TTLT. “The promise to match $20,000 worth of new donations is an incentive for anyone who supports land conservation and the environment.”

Although conservation and maintenance of natural habitats is what Land Trusts are known for, they also seek to provide the public with opportunities to enjoy the natural environment for undisruptive recreational activities such as hiking and bird-watching. Stewardship activities include maintaining trails, planting trees, controlling erosion or conducting wildlife inventories.

“Land Trusts across Ontario have more than 60,000 acres of land under care; this new partnership aids existing efforts in producing a sustainable income for the ongoing maintenance and preservation of special lands, like the Bruce Trail, for generations to come,” said Ian Macnab, Executive Director of the Ontario Land Trust Alliance.

Funding for this initiative comes from the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s $2 M Future Fund, allocated in 2008 to help organizations build the capacity of the environment sector and encourage greater collaboration among environmental organizations.