THUNDER BAY — The Sturgeon Bay area is critical habitat for peregrine falcons, who like to nest on cliffscapes in the area and survey the Lake Superior shore for prey. Those falcons are among the species at risk in the 935 hectares now under Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) protection in the non-profit organization’s Nor’Westers project, so named because it includes some of the Nor’Wester mountain range. It’s a “huge win” for conservation, said Kaitlin Richardson, the NCC’s program director for northern Ontario.
Thunder Bay-Rainy River MPP Marcus Powlowski was on hand at a local business Friday as the NCC announced the purchase of land along North America’s biggest lake. The land purchase was made possible by the support of the federal and Ontario governments as well as private donors, foundations and other contributors. Powlowski said the Nor’Wester project is important to the region because nature “is a big part of who we are as a community.
“And I’ve lived all around the world and I think some of the most beautiful parts of the world are right here around Thunder Bay,” he continued. “We want to preserve that for future generations, and that’s what this is doing.” A news release said the land purchase means protection of “vast expanses of forests, wetlands and mesas (isolated, flat-topped landforms with steep sides).
” “The Nor’Westers project strategically protects spaces that bolster existing protected areas, helping to create co.
