67-acre nature reserve to be assembled in Elmira
Posted May 13, 2021 09:45:00 PM.
A new nature reserve will be assembled in Elmira. The organizers and a volunteer group, Trees for Woolwich, will help put the new 67-acre reserve together.
The township is setting aside the nature reserve as part of the next step forward with the habitat project from last year.
“The habitats is a six-acre showcase of walking trails through five distinct restored native habitats, including oak savannah, tallgrass prairie, maple beech, and am early successional forest and wetland,” explained Igna Rinne, chair of Trees for Woolwich.
She adds after looking around the area. They realized there was far more potential here. With the help of a volunteer, “this whole area needed to be rehabilitated, and we can make this into a really beautiful place that is accessible.”
“We put together a plan to put together a natural area, using what Mother Nature has given us and enhancing and rescuing some parts of the area. We then took it to the council, and they said it is a good idea.”
Rinne said there will be a trail, and they will be planting around 3,000 trees to enhance what is already there.
“If we want to give this a realistic chance, then we need to remove the species. We will be adding paths and informational signs to let people know what they see in terms of particular habitats. We will give them a chance to familiarize themselves with the tree species.”
Rinne says the hope is that once the enhancing and rescue are complete, the reserve will be a self-sustained land.
The township owns the land itself, and with the army of volunteers with Trees for Woolwich, they will be doing all the work involved. The total cost of buying the trees will be around $160,000.
Most of the area is flood plain, making it not suitable for residential and industrial. “It was a good land that was waiting to be put to good use,” added Rinne.
