Access
The Rice Lake Plains Partnership encourages landowners to get involved in conservation and are happy to assist you in doing so.
Landowners have access to free site visits, technical resources and technical advice. These resources can be very beneficial as they help you to take a closer look at the natural features on your property and their connections to the surrounding landscape.
Funding
Landowners in the Rice Lake Plains may also be eligible for funding to do various environmental enhancement projects, such as native tree and prairie plantings, invasive species removal, wetland enhancement, fencing livestock from waterways and alternative watering systems for livestock, among others.
There are various funding programs out there and we would be happy to help get you started by putting you in touch with the right programs, and help you to develop project plans where possible.
Restoration
Landowners can get involved in many types of conservation projects. These could include:
- Prairie restoration and enhancement
- Planting native trees and shrubs
- Species at Risk habitat enhancement (such as a hibernaculum for snakes or maintaining grasslands for grassland birds)
- Invasive species removal (including but not limited to Scots Pine, Dog-strangling vine [also known as swallowwort], European buckthorn, autumn olive and garlic mustard)
- Agricultural best management practices (such as fencing livestock from wetlands, waterways and woodlands and providing alternative watering systems) Wetland and riparian (vegetation along stream banks) enhancement
- And many more...
Resources
Rice Lake Plains Joint Initiative
A Landowner's Guide for Restoring Central Ontario's Rice Lake Plains Tallgrass Prairie
Tallgrass Ontario
Landowners Guide
Environment and Climate Change Canada
The Seed Guide Establishing Prairie Meadow Communities 2004
Lower Trent Conservation
Resources
Ontario Invasive Plant Council
Resources
Pollinator Partnership
Inviting Bees to Your Property: No Fear of Stings!
The Xerces Society
Bumble Pocket Identification Guides