At the heart of OFT’s conservation work is a commitment to preserving lands for today and for future generations to come. Part of this work includes monitoring our protected properties to ensure that the integrity of each conservation easement agreement is upheld. These agreements are designed to last for 999 years and reflect the enduring legacy of the landowners’ conservation goals. OFT is proud to protect 26 properties, totaling over 2700 acres of land.
The monitoring season typically spans from May to September, and is led by OFT’s Farmland Protection and Stewardship Program Manager, Joel Enman. Alongside Joel, OFT hires a Farmland Ecology Assistant to support these monitoring visits. This year, we’re so happy to have Harpreet Opal join us for the summer.
In the beginning of May, Joel trains the Farmland Ecology Assistant on OFT’s monitoring processes and programs, including our mapping software used for capturing photos of the property as well as Species at Risk during the monitoring visit.
Before every monitoring season, the conservation easement agreements for each property are reviewed to ensure both the Farmland Ecology Assistant and the Farmland Protection and Stewardship Program Manager are refamiliarized with the aspects of each unique agreement.
We asked Joel about his insights for monitoring visits:
- How many properties does OFT monitor?
Of the land OFT protects, 25 of the properties are protected by a conservation easement agreement, and all of these properties require an annual monitoring visit. OFT’s remaining property that is protected was donated to OFT. Read more about that here. - What are you looking for during a monitoring visit?
During the monitoring visit, OFT staff are looking for compliance with the easement. The restrictions placed on the property by the conservation easement agreement are all unique to each property. Many of our protected properties involve different zones of protection, typically these include the Farmstead Area, the Agricultural Area(s), and the Forested and Natural Area(s). Each of these different zones has different levels of protection on them to ensure the natural features and the working landscapes of the property are adequately conserved. Also, on the monitoring visits, OFT staff document any species at risk seen on the property and any changes that have happened on the land from weather events or changes in farming practices.
- What are you looking forward to for the season?
Each monitoring season, I look forward to getting back onto the beautiful and diverse lands that are protected by OFT. Our protected farms produce a variety of commodities and have very diverse landscapes, including grasslands, forests, wetlands, and shoreline. I feel lucky to witness many amazing species on the properties, including many species at risk.
The monitoring season is also a great time for me to connect with and meet with the wonderful landowners who steward the lands protected by conservation easement agreements. It’s also a great opportunity to have volunteers attend monitoring visits where they can take an active part in learning more about the lands we protect.
Interested in joining Joel and Harpreet this summer? Reach out to us here to join our amazing team of volunteers.
Can’t volunteer, but want to support farmland protection across Ontario? Discover other ways to get involved here!