The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) joins with its partners in celebrating the protection of the Wilson Island group near Rossport, Ontario. This $7.4-million binational initiative is the largest (based on dollar value) conservation project ever completed in Ontario. The landmark acquisition in northwestern Ontario will preserve habitat and species at risk for the long term. It was made possible with significant funding support from the Government of Canada under the Natural Areas Conservation Program, the Province of Ontario and The Nature Conservancy (TNC, based in the United States).

The Nature Conservancy and NCC have identified the Northwestern Lake Superior Coast as a high priority for conservation action based on the binational Great Lakes Conservation Blueprint for Aquatic Biodiversity. The NCC/TNC collaboration allowed the two organizations to negotiate the deal for Wilson Island with an American vendor and raise private donations from U.S. donors and foundations to secure a large area of undeveloped Great Lakes Shoreline - an increasingly rare opportunity.

This deal has strong support from the Pays Plat First Nation, whose people have a deep cultural interest in this natural gem. The Nature Conservancy of Canada will work cooperatively with the Pays Plat First Nation to conduct biological and cultural inventories of the islands and ensure the long-standing Aboriginal traditions will be maintained for generations to come.

The eight islands in the Wilson Island cluster total more than 4,700 acres (1,900 hectares). They are situated in the heart of the recently established Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area - the largest protected freshwater area on the planet. Wilson Island’s high cliffs provide nesting habitat for Peregrine Falcons and Bald Eagles, while the smaller offshore islands provide important nesting habitat for colonial waterbirds. The rare coastal wetlands and forests, rugged cliffs, bedrock shoreline and globally rare sand beaches of the islands support rare species such as Mountain Fir-moss and Northern Woodsia fern.

The Wilson Island group is a cluster of eight islands. Wilson is by far the largest of the eight, and has north-facing cliffs on water and canyons, raised basalt beaches and an unexplored interior. It supports all the arctic-alpine species and vegetation communities for which Lake Superior’s north shore is famous. Lake trout and whitefish spawn in the nearshores. In a Parks Canada study of the entire northwest coast of Lake Superior, the Wilson Islands ranked second overall for their representation of significant features of the region.