Protecting the Places We Love: The Story of the Magnetawan Watershed Land Trust

A flowing creek tumbles over the rugged rock outcroppings of the Canadian Shield. A quiet island surrounded by the waters of a nearby lake. A floating bog, an old-growth forest, and a wetland alive with birds, turtles, and countless other species. These are more than beautiful places, they are part of the natural character of the Magnetawan River watershed.

The Magnetawan River watershed is located in Ontario’s Parry Sound District. Beginning at Magnetawan Lake in the western part of Algonquin Provincial Park, the river flows west for approximately 175 to 200 kilometres through numerous lakes, rapids, and communities, including Burk’s Falls and Magnetawan, before emptying into Georgian Bay at Britt.

The Magnetawan Watershed Land Trust (MWLT) exists to ensure that special places like these remain protected forever. Their mission is to increase the number of natural and ecologically significant spaces conserved in perpetuity throughout the watershed. MWLT is turning a love of the land into lasting protection.

Every protected property begins with a story. Sometimes, it starts with landowners who have cared for a forest, shoreline, or wetland for decades and want to preserve it beyond their lifetime. In other cases, a threatened property becomes available, creating an opportunity for the community to act.

MWLT helps landowners explore several paths to conservation. Land may be donated or purchased, protected through a combination of donation and purchase, or conserved through an easement that allows the owner to retain the property while placing permanent protections on its natural features.

Protected properties are monitored (often with the help of volunteers), marked with appropriate signage and additional work is undertaken when needed to safeguard important ecological features. Conservation easements follow a more structured annual monitoring process to ensure their conditions continue to be honoured. We always encourage anyone with questions to reach out and ask us! 

MWLT is also a member of the Ontario Land Trust Alliance (OLTA), part of one of the world’s largest land trust communities. The alliance represents approximately 120,000 individuals and members who have helped protect more than 90,000 acres across Ontario. Through training, education, communication, and advocacy, OLTA helps local land trusts turn community commitment into permanent conservation areas.

Protecting land forever is a promise that extends well beyond the moment a property is acquired. It requires stewardship, monitoring, community involvement, and people who believe these landscapes are worth safeguarding.

A donation to MWLT helps fund future land acquisitions and the ongoing care of protected properties. With a contribution of $50 or more, you become a member and receive a charitable tax receipt. Members also receive our electronic newsletter, may vote at the Annual General Meeting, and can participate in stewardship and conservation projects. Most importantly, membership connects you with others who care deeply about the watershed’s forests, wetlands, shorelines, and wildlife.

The places we protect today will shape the watershed inherited by tomorrow’s communities. Together, we can keep these lands wild, resilient, and full of life, for today and for generations to come.

Thank you for supporting the Magnetawan Watershed Land Trust (MWLT) and our work to protect the Magnetawan River watershed. Located in Northern Ontario, the MWLT region is approximately 3 hours from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), 4.5 hours from Ottawa, and 3.5 hours from Hamilton. Whether you live locally in the Parry Sound or surrounding districts, own a cottage in Muskoka, or simply care about conservation, your support helps preserve the natural beauty and biodiversity of the Magnetawan watershed for generations to come.

Learn more, donate, volunteer, or help protect land with the Magnetawan Watershed Land Trust. Together, we can conserve Ontario’s natural heritage forever.