It’s a first for Southwold.
The township now has a conservation area, located just south of Southwold Fire Station 1 in Shedden.
It will be administered by the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA) and be known as Five Maples Conservation Area.
The 78 acres of land on the west side of Union Road, south of the firehall were donated to the conservation authority by Werner and Myrna Stoss, in memory of Werner’s parents, Steve and Magdalena Stoss.
Werner explains the significance of the name.
He added that the donation of the land to the conservation authority is a fitting tribute to the family’s connection to the land.
Southwold Mayor Grant Jones stressed the importance of the donated land as the Shedden-Fingal area is on the cusp of significant residential development.
An active transportation corridor will extend south from Five Maples to Fingal, linking the baseball diamond in that community to the soccer pitches in Shedden.
Genevieve Champagne, Manager, Conservation Lands and Services with the LTVCA, advised that an advisory group comprised of area residents will be struck and an opening event planned for next summer, which could include the planting of seedlings.
In September, 2024, Southwold was the recipient of almost $28 million in provincial funding for a new wastewater treatment facility and supporting infrastructure.
The new treatment plant will clear the way for development of over 2,000 new housing units in Shedden and Fingal on more than 300 acres of land around the Shedden fire hall and in neighbouring Fingal.
Written by Ian McCallum
