December 9th, 2025
Press Releases
Thousand Islands Watershed Land Trust Secures 360-acre [146-hectare] Red Horse Highlands for $1.5million
The Thousand Islands Watershed Land Trust (TIWLT), is proud to announce the successful purchase of the 360-acre [146-hectare] Red Horse Highlands Property, a biologically rich and ecologically vital landscape within the Frontenac Arch Biosphere.
This landmark $1.5 million acquisition was made possible through generous financial support from:
- Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks, through the Greenlands Conservation Partnership administered through the Ontario Land Trust Alliance
- Wildlife Habitat Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, through the Natural Heritage Conservation Program – Land Trust Conservation Fund
- Ontario Conservation Accelerator (OCA), and the charitable funders who contributed through them: the Schad Foundation, the ECHO Foundation, and The Waltons Trust.
- Individual local community donors, whose contributions made up an impressive 29% of the total project cost.
Meeting a thrilling November deadline, TIWLT and its supporters rallied to raise the full amount, ensuring that the Red Horse Highlands is now permanently protected under the stewardship of the Thousand Islands Watershed Land Trust.
In August, TIWLT shared news of an ambitious new conservation effort – the protection of the 360-acre [146-hectare] Red Horse Highlands, a dramatic expanse of Frontenac Arch landscape that had come onto the open market and required swift action to secure. The project was a clear conservation win but a daunting prospect, with a fundraising goal 200% larger than the largest project in TIWLT’s history at that time.
By early November, the response from the community was nothing short of extraordinary. Local individual supporters rallied behind the cause, contributing over $400,000 toward the project – nearly 30% of the total cost of conservation. Their generosity pushed the campaign over its fundraising goal and allowed TIWLT to move forward with the acquisition, ensuring this ecologically significant property is protected for generations to come – 4ever!
