MeadowWoods is one of the newest additions to TTLT’s roster of nature reserves, with the official paperwork being signed this past September. Tucked in the southwest corner of Elgin County, MeadowWoods spans along 100 km of the Lake Erie shoreline as part of a larger coastal wildlife corridor. Its mixture of deciduous forest, wet meadow, and wetland provides ideal habitat for a variety of flora and fauna species, including the 200 species of migrant and resident birds, as well as many rare species.

This 105-acre parcel of picturesque woodland was donated by Stan and Anita Caveney as part of TTLT’s Vision 20/20 Campaign, an ambitious campaign that aims to protect a total of 20 natural areas by the end of 2020 through the addition of 7 new nature reserves. Stan and Anita grew up in South Africa and came to Canada in 1971. As self-proclaimed “amateur naturalists”, Ontario’s native flora, fauna, and natural landscapes were vastly different than what they were used to, but over time they came to appreciate and enjoy the nature that Ontario had to offer. As they became aware of the loss of nature in Ontario over the past 220 years, they knew they had to do something. In order to protect what they loved, they purchased MeadowWoods, a natural space that would nourish their connection to nature and provide the same opportunity for generations to come. The decision to donate MeadowWoods to TTLT was to further ensure that this uniquely diverse natural space would remain protected forever, and so it shall.

Photos by Stan Caveney