News release issued on June 22, 2015:
Mayhew Tract sign unveiled at ceremony
Dignitaries speak at dedication ceremony and sign unveiling to recognize generous donation of land by Mayhew family in memory of Jack and Iris Mayhew; Donation of nature area first for local Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy
Cyclists rode from Bayfield to the Holmesville area on Friday, June 19, 2015, during the Celebration of Water Weekend, to attend the dedication ceremony and sign unveiling for the Mayhew Tract. This important forested property, in the Holmesville area, was donated by the Mayhew Family, in memory of Jack and Iris Mayhew, to the local Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy (HTLTC).
Jack and Iris’s daughter Janine and sons Greg and Tim were among family members to attend the ceremony.
Greg Mayhew, of Holmesville, spoke on behalf of the Mayhew family. He said it was “a little overwhelming” that, instead of a few people shaking hands in front of a sign for a photo, dozens of people attended to witness the dedication of land. “Thank you to everyone who came out today and made this possible,” he said. “It is our hope that this donation will preserve this lot in the natural state that Jack and Iris appreciated and we encourage others to see the value in our forested lands.” He said the parcel is a natural drainage area and provides natural habitat as well.
“Jack and Iris Mayhew farmed here for nearly 43 years,” he said, pointing to the home farm, cater-cornered from the Mayhew Tract.
Greg recalled that at a time when his father, an avid outdoorsman, might have cleared fencerows or removed trees for more crop land, instead “he was still planting trees and creating grassed waterways.”
When recalling the history of the ten-acre parcel that was donated, he said it was a source of firewood and a place to enjoy nature. Greg recalled his mother bringing her children and grandchildren to the site. “Every spring Iris would bring us down to look for pussy-willows, a tradition she continued with her grandkids,” he said.
Huron County Warden Paul Gowing and Municipality of Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn were among the dignitaries who spoke at the ceremony to thank the Mayhew family for the generous donation which will help to provide local forest cover, groundwater recharge, and wildlife habitat for generations to come.
The donation from the Mayhew family was the first one received by the new land trust.
“This is a historic first donation of land to the Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy,” said Warden Paul Gowing. “I commend the Mayhew family for your generous donation,” he said. “We appreciate your trust in protecting this land in the memory of Jack and Iris Mayhew. Your donation will safeguard wildlife habitat, while enhancing air and water quality for our children’s children,” he said.
Mayor Jim Ginn said it was a pleasure for him to speak at the ceremony for a number of reasons. “It’s a privilege that the first donation to the Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy happens in Central Huron,” he said. “It is also a privilege because I knew Jack and Iris very well. Jack owned another property directly across the highway from my farm. For a number of years we got to know each other pretty well, and spent many times talking about trees. It was kind of a passion both of us had. On behalf of the Municipality of Central Huron I would like to thank the Mayhew family for donating this and showing the good stewardship practices to preserve this land in perpetuity.”
Bill Strong, Constituency Manager, brought remarks on behalf of Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb, who had a prior commitment at another charitable event. “Ben got to know Jack and Iris very well over the years,” Strong said, and the fact that Jack was an accomplished wood carver made the donation of this woodlot an appropriate way to remember Jack and Iris. “I had the privilege of knowing Jack myself,” said Strong. “Congratulations to the Mayhew family for this donation.”
Bob Radtke, Chairman of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, also brought remarks. The Conservation Foundation facilitated the creation of the Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy as a local and permanent way for people to leave a lasting land and nature legacy. People can do this through donations and bequests of land to protect and preserve the natural, recreational, scenic, historical, or agricultural importance of some of the properties of the historic Huron Tract area.
“The Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy is a volunteer organization with a separate board of directors,” Radtke said to the crowd. “The Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy gives people in the Huron Tract area a way to make a positive difference by helping to protect, restore land, water, and nature. The land is permanently protected to preserve its conservation, heritage, or agricultural values,” he said. “On behalf of the Foundation I would like to commend and thank the Mayhew family for this generous and lasting donation in the memory of Jack and Iris Mayhew. This lasting legacy will not only provide environmental health benefits to the people of this area but it will inspire other people to do the same. This is the start of something very important.”
“This is a special day for the land trust,” said Roger Lewington, Chairman of the Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy, marking the first donation of land. “This will be here for generations to come.” There is a need for more forest cover and that makes it even more important to have donations that preserve forest cover we have, Lewington said. “Forest cover provides wind protection, cleans the air we breathe, retains runoff, and provides sanctuary for wildlife.”
The Mayhew Tract is located about two kilometres south of Holmesville, on the northeast corner of Tower Line Road and Parr Line. It is just north of the watershed divide between the Bayfield River and Maitland River.
The ten-acre (four-hectare) Mayhew Tract property is entirely forested. Most of the trees are lowland hardwood (for example, Silver Maple and Aspen) and there are also some conifers near the west side of the property. There is also an intermittent drain on the property. The forest helps to store water through the year and recharge the groundwater table. This is one of the benefits to this nature area along with habitat.
Land trusts or land conservancies are independent, charitable organizations that work with private landowners to preserve open space and nature. Land trusts accept donations and bequests of land and conservation agreements and, in some cases, may purchase land or conservation agreements. The land is then protected from that time on.
The Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy gets its name and geographic boundaries from the days of early settlement in this part of Ontario. The Huron Tract was purchased by the Canada Company, an agent of the British government, to be distributed to colonial settlers of Upper Canada.
The HTLTC is a volunteer organization with a community board of directors. The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation helped to create the land trust in 2011. The Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy gives people a safe, reliable, long-term way to leave financial contributions or bequests of real property for the protection of land, water, and habitat for generations to come.
The Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy can protect important nature areas for the long term, with the help of “an inspired community that values and protects natural lands and habitat.”
For more information visit htltc.ca.
Voices of the Donors
Love of the Land: Capturing the Voices of Donors
The Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy would like to thank and acknowledge Huron Heritage Fund, of the County of Huron, for their generous financial support of the Love of the Land: Capturing the Voices of Donors project. Through this support, the County of Huron is preserving valuable heritage assets and activities of heritage importance to the County of Huron and its residents.
Enjoy these excerpts from an audio interview by Judy Maddren, of Soundportraits.ca, with Greg Mayhew:
Listen to other excerpts of audio interviews, by Judy Maddren, of Soundportraits.ca with donors to the Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy: