*This article originally appeared on Kingstonist.*
In August, the Thousand Islands Watershed Land Trust (TIWLT) is holding its annual summer fundraiser to help protect and conserve ecologically significant lands in the Thousand Islands region, and to announce TIWLT’s 2026/7 roster of projects.
The organization invites nature lovers and backyard ecologists to its Celebrate 4ever Summer Party, held to thank the volunteers and donors who support the work the local land trust undertakes year over year.
This year, the party at the Glen Elbe learning centre in Athens will be held on Saturday, Aug. 15, from 3 to 6 p.m. and features a full sit-down dinner for attendees, as well as live music, auctions, a cash bar, and the opportunity to explore TIWLT’s heritage flower and vegetable gardens, and the Climate Change Arboretum.
“We decided to go with a sit-down dinner this year to highlight the community spirit of the event,” said Calder Schweitzer, TIWLT’s Executive Director.
“Sharing a meal with friends and family is one of the great joys in life, doubly so outdoors on a beautiful summer day, and we wanted to facilitate that comfortable closeness and friendly atmosphere for our supporters.”
The chef for the Celebrate 4ever Summer Party is Dan Thompson, owner of the Keystorm Pub in Brockville, where he also runs a catering business.
“Uniquely, Dan does events with both barbecuing and kitchens. He’ll use our big grill on wheels, but also can prepare many of the dinner ingredients for the meals at his restaurant,” Schweitzer detailed.
While last year’s party was more drop-in style, attendees this year are invited to come and stay for the full three hours.
“We expect the event to be well-attended, as it was last year,” Schweitzer noted.
“Last year, we were fortunate to not have to limit ticket numbers because of the food truck style of meal. This year, with the caterer, we do have an upper limit on tickets and have had several folks already tell us they plan to attend, so it is wise to get tickets early to ensure a place. They are available for $90 individually or $480 to reserve a table and admission for six.”
Last year, thanks to the generosity of attendees and donors, as well as government funding, the conservation agency was able to purchase the 360-acre (146-hectare) Red Horse Highlands Property, a biologically rich and ecologically vital landscape within the Frontenac Arch Biosphere.
As previously reported, the project was a clear conservation win but a daunting prospect, with a fundraising goal 200 per cent larger than the largest project in TIWLT’s history at that time.
This year, TIWLT celebrates Keystone Connections, those important linkages that bring conservation land and conservationists together.
“When you look at the conserved lands in the area – particularly around Charleston Lake – it’s quickly clear that there are several nexuses of conservation that have formed. Lost Bay, Red Horse Lake, and Leeders Creek are all places with multiple conservation properties that are connected or in close proximity to one another. With these large protected spaces emerging, we are now looking at strategic properties that increase the connectivity between them,” he explained.
“In doing this, we’re looking to turn a handful of protected regions into a large, protected network that could span from Lyndhurst to McIntosh Mills. We’re extremely fortunate that several landowners connect with this vision and the broad mission of conservation here and have begun the process of donating their properties.”
He shared that another layer is in the Charleston Lake Area (alongside the Thousand Islands and Frontenac Forests), which was recently designated as a Key Biodiversity Area in Canada.
Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are designated by a coalition of nature interest groups, including the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), he detailed.
“KBAs are important for wildlife and nature to survive – and thrive. Found across land, freshwater, and marine environments, KBAs are special areas that support rare and threatened species and ecosystems, and key natural processes,” the IUCN detailed on its website.
Schweitzer noted that this new designation comes alongside several existing ones – the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, several layers of overlapping Critical Habitat for Species at Risk, and a National Priority Area for Ecological Corridors.
“Each designation on its own proves that nature here is remarkable and worth protecting. All of them together prove that this area is one of Canada’s very best when it comes to biodiversity and ecological sensitivity. TIWLT’s focus for this year is building connections between protected areas within the new Charleston Lake KBA,” he stated.
According to Schweitzer, the Auction for Acres will return this year, after the announcement of TIWLT’s broad conservation plan.
“We believe this plan is the best course of action for conservation in this area at this time, dictated both by the conservation needs of the area as well as where the interested land donors are. We hope and believe that the conservation plan we’ll be announcing will resonate with our donors and that they’ll put their support behind it,” he said.
“In a region whose biodiversity is underpinned by wildlife migration routes and convergence zones, connectivity is a tremendously important factor of the conservation landscape. We’re lucky to be in an area where conservation matters to people – there are multiple conservation groups doing great work here, supported by a community that believes in them. TIWLT is working this year not just to increase protection, but to make connections that mean our protected areas achieve more by functioning together as part of a larger network.”
These ambitious goals bring with them a need to increase capacity at TIWLT, including fundraising for operational funds and its 4ever Fund – a pool of money designed to be used for stewardship and protection in the future.
Schweitzer said that in building the 4ever Fund, TIWLT is ensuring that the future leaders of this land trust are able to keep the 4ever promise that they are making today.
“Funds raised at the event will go toward supporting all of the costs of conservation, including paying our valuable staff, operational costs to keep TIWLT running, and of course, the direct cost of conserving property,” he outlined.
Currently, TIWLT has 10 developed projects on the go. Schweitzer said that most of these are quite far along in the conservation process, while a few are still in the early stages.
“If all of these projects come to fruition, we will need to raise just shy of $3 million to complete them all,” he said.
“To avoid spreading ourselves too thin, we have planned out these acquisitions through until August 2027, giving us multiple windows to apply for grants. While we give ourselves as many chances to succeed through grants as we can, we are deeply reliant on community support to realize this goal.”
According to Schweitzer, grants rarely cover all of the costs for a project, and most use community donation support as a litmus test for the value a project has to its local area.
He said that it is TIWLT’s job to bring exceptional conservation opportunities to the community that they will believe in and feel good about supporting. Because its goal is calculated based on the cost of doing a suite of projects, TIWLT can reach milestones on the way.
“More funds raised means more land conserved. The best outcome for nature is, of course, funding all of the projects available to us, and so that is the goal that TIWLT is chasing,” he illustrated.
“The majority of this year’s projects are land donations, where title is transferred to TIWLT with no direct cost of the land. These properties are some of the most generous gifts a landowner can make to their community and the nature within it.”
According to Schweitzer, despite the land coming at no cost, it still costs TIWLT up to $10,000 or more to process a donation, covering things like appraisals, legal work, and the time of our expert biologists in evaluating the property.
When asked for his final thoughts ahead of the big event, Schweitzer simply pointed out that TIWLT is community-driven and community-focused.
“Here in one of the most ecologically important parts of Canada, it is extremely heartening to see just how much conservation means to people,” he concluded.
To help support the cause and enjoy a summer afternoon exploring the 111-acre headquarters of the TIWLT, purchase your tickets to the Celebrate 4ever Summer Party through the organization’s website.
Editor’s note: I hope to continue to share my writing, though most of my time/energy is spent at Kingstonist. As such, I will be publishing some of my articles here after some time has elapsed from the original publication date. This piece was published on Kingstonist in June 2026.
Find more Kingston-related stories here.
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