The Haliburton Highlands Land Trust recently acquired a 200-acre nature reserve on Plantation Road between Minden and Carnarvon.
As a first step, they are looking to give it a name.
On Wednesday (July 1), the land trust kicked off a County-wide naming contest.
“To avoid a Boaty McBoatface situation (funny as that might be), rather than a public poll, we have selected a panel of seven judges drawn from land trust staff and board members, as well as community members, to decide on the winning name,” the land trust said.
There will be prizes and the winner, in addition to having their property name formally adopted, will win a $500 gift card to Delancey Sports. There are also prizes for the runners up, including a $250 gift card for Algonquin Outfitters for second place, a G20 drill set from Emmerson Lumber for third place (estimated value $150) and a Keter Samoa Deck box from Minden Canadian Tire for fourth place.
Starting at 9 a.m. on Canada Day, submissions can be entered through the HHLT website via the contest webpage. Up to three names can be shared and only one submission can be sent in per person. You may also submit your reasoning for each name you enter. Names can be submitted until the 9 p.m. July 25. The winners will be revealed on Aug. 8.
The new nature reserve will be open to the public and feature an extensive trail system that includes a large boardwalk. Given there aren’t many public natural spaces between Minden and Carnarvon with trails exclusively for walking and biking, they are hoping the new property will be a peaceful place for people to enjoy year-round.
“The nature of the property makes it quite accessible for a wide variety of walkers; the front fifth of the reserve is open field and plantation forest on flat terrain, with only a slight slope to access the boardwalk. The back half of the property is hillier and dominated by lovely mature hardwood forest and dotted with wetlands. The wetlands are particularly beautiful in the springtime as a large amount of pink lady’s slipper decorate the forest in early June,” the land trust said.
“We hope every nature lover in the County will soon be enjoying the newly-named haven.”
