The things we buy on Black Friday and Cyber Monday come and go, but nature is forever. You can put your savings from this shopping season towards protecting an acre of vulnerable natural habitat this year.
This Giving Tuesday, Ontario Nature is raising funds to permanently protect 360 acres in eastern Ontario on the Frontenac Arch – a region that is home to more rare species than anywhere else in the country.
Two people who understand the importance of protecting Ontario’s wild spaces are Joel and Ada Farber.
The Farber’s cabin is located at Lost Bay, just north of the 360-acre property.
The Farber’s have a cabin at Lost Bay on Gananoque River, just north of the 360-acre property that Ontario Nature is trying to protect. They have also generously donated land that is now part of our Lost Bay Nature Reserve. Protecting nature is personal for the Farber’s. Here is their story.
We’ve been going to our cabin at Lost Bay on Gananoque Lake for 50 years.
Back then, there was no road access and hardly any development at all. We didn’t have power or hydro – just a small cabin in the woods.
We absolutely loved every mosquito-bitten moment.
Ada and Joel Farber
The kids camped in tents and spent their days exploring the islands, jumping off rocks into the lake. At night, we paddled out to the middle of the bay to try to map the stars. The Milky Way was so bright.
And it hasn’t changed much.
There still aren’t many cottages, and the area has stayed remarkably natural. There’s almost no traffic on the lake and the waters are quiet. Except of course for the loons.
The first time we heard their haunting call we were sitting around the fire. We were totally elated. In all our time spent at Lost Bay, the most exciting thing we did was build a nesting raft for our loon friends. They used it for several years. Waiting to see the chicks hatch, learn to swim, then fly off for the winter was fantastic. We felt like we were helping nature along.
Ada enjoying her morning coffee on the lake.
We are thrilled to be able to help protect a piece of this wonderful place that our family has loved for years. There’s so much land that’s being gobbled up for development, and we’re seeing the decline of wildlife as a result. It’s important that we protect what’s left for our children and great-grandchildren, and for the wildlife we hope they’ll get to enjoy too.
Anything that we can do to help slow down or prevent this loss now will have a vital impact for nature in the long-run.
– Ada and Joel Farber
We hope their commitment to protecting nature inspires you to do the same, and give what you can to help us acquire this special property.
Your donation will be doubled!
Every dollar you give, up to $20,000, will be matched thanks to the generous support from Quest Nature Tours, Ontario Nature’s Board of Directors and an anonymous donor.
Ontario Nature is a charity that has been protecting wild species and wild spaces through education, conservation and public engagement since 1931. We are there when nature needs us most.
While we all grapple with the impacts of a global pandemic, the Government of Ontario is quietly using a flurry of Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs) to eliminate public participation and fast-track development on farmland and natural areas.
Join us in demanding greater public accountability and enhanced community resilience to climate change.
