Support from annual charity event helps Land Trust protect natural areas and species at risk
(Port Rowan, Ontario.) Juno Award winning folk-rock-roots musician Fred Eaglesmith and his annual Charity Picnic event are helping protect rural landscapes and wildlife once again. Fred has been hosting an annual music festival for 18 years, with proceeds going to local charities. In recent years, support from the event has helped Long Point Basin Land Trust (LPBLT) protect species at risk and create new nature reserves. This year, donations from the event will help the Land Trust to purchase and steward a spectacular nature reserve on the Lake Erie shoreline.
“Long Point Basin Land Trust tips its hat to Fred and the other musicians – and to the event participants and organizers,” said Gregor Beck, LPBLT’s conservation science director. “Support from the Charity Picnic has offered a valuable hand which has helped us to restore, purchase and protect natural habitats and to recover species at risk. The event not only helps nature, it’s also a fantastic opportunity to enjoy great music and the great out-of-doors at Springwater Conservation Area.”
Proceeds from this year’s event will help LPBLT to acquire and steward a spectacular new nature reserve near Fisher’s Glen on the Lake Erie shoreline. The property’s Carolinian forests, ravines and bluffs will be protected and stewarded by the Land Trust in perpetuity, providing critical habitat for native biodiversity and species at risk. The 52-acre property includes 1400 feet of natural and undeveloped shoreline – an increasingly rare natural commodity in the region.
“If you listen to Fred Eaglesmith’s songs, you get a sense of how important the protection of rural landscapes is to him. So, it seems fitting that this event will help protect the rural character and natural areas of the Lake Erie shoreline,” added Beck. “It’s also a great example of how local events and local businesses are supporting environmental initiatives in our community. We are grateful to Fred and the Charity Picnic and to the other businesses that support our conservation work in the Long Point Basin.”
The 18th Annual Fred Eaglesmith Charity Picnic takes places from Friday, August 17 to Sunday, August 19 at Springwater Conservation Area, near Aylmer, Ontario. For event information, please visit: www.fredeaglesmith.com. Volunteers and staff from Long Point Basin Land Trust will be present on Saturday and Sunday to answer questions and discuss conservation issues in the Carolinian Region. The Land Trust encourages anyone who enjoys music and the environment to join them at this year’s Charity Picnic.
