Conservation group buys land near Tobermory giving it new Indigenous name
Named by Chippewas of Nawash elder, Crying Water is Aahmahwi Nibi in Ojibwe
More land at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula has been protected as a nature reserve, with two levels of government providing funding to buy the approximately one-kilometre-long section of shoreline.
Located in an area known as China Cove, Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC) said Tuesday it will take ownership of the land just west of Tobermory on Lake Huron.
The 29 hectares of forest and wetland had been of interest to developers looking to build cottages but will now be accessible to naturalists and the public, the NCC's Program Director Esme Batten said.
"There's only about 8 km left of unprotected and undeveloped shoreline on the northern part of the peninsula, and these habitats are so important for many species, including lake trout and lake whitefish that spawn in near the shore," Batten said Tuesday on Ontario Morning.
While the NCC said many private donors contributed to buying the land, the federal government also contributed $940,000, and the Ontario government gave $300,000, both through funds earmarked for conservation.
New Indigenous name
The land is located near several parks, as well as one end of the Bruce Trail. The area earned its namesake, China Cove, when a ship named The China crashed near the shore in 1883.
The NCC said that when it purchased the land, it invited Indigenous board members and Chippewas Of Nawash Unceded First Nation elder Miptoon to the area.
"He came out to the property with us, and he heard the water crying out to him, sharing stories of the wreck. He asked that we named the property Aah Mahwi Nibi or Crying Water to honour that history," Batten said.
The nature reserve is also home to other species at risk, including the midland painted turtle, the eastern massasauga rattlesnake and Hill's thistle. The NCC said it will be working on access points so that the land is accessible to hikers.
with files from Nav Nanwa