PORTFOLIO OF EXCEPTIONAL CHESTNUT PARK PROPERTIES Southern Georgian Bay

Aerial view of Collingwood. Ontario. Canada. Photo by: Taylor Nullmeyer

Collingwood has great warmth and a sense of hospitality. This community is rich in history and culture and is truly an active lifestyle community. Located on the southern shores of Georgian Bay, its waterfront provides endless opportunities. The Blue Mountains scenic area offers an abundance of recreational activities for all four seasons, most notably winter. The Village at Blue Mountain has an array of boutiques and stores all within walking distance of the largest ski resort in Ontario. Wiarton is located at the western end of the scenic shores of Colpoys Bay, an inlet off Georgian Bay on the Bruce Peninsula. Defined by the rugged limestone cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment, Wiarton is known for the Wiarton Willie Festival, in February each year. Owen Sound is located on the southern shores of Georgian Bay. A true gateway, enjoy the waterfront trail system, farmer’s market and, in the winter, access the trail system, thousands of snowmobile trails and cross-country skiing areas. Meaford is a four-season destination that has it all. The quaint and charming historic downtown district offers live theatre and concerts, fresh local food, unique shopping, nature at your doorstep, a beautiful harbour and so much more.

Barb Picot* Direct: 705 444 3452 // picot@rogers.com Ron Picot* Direct: 705 446 8580 // rpicot@rogers.com

CUSTOM BLUE MOUNTAIN MASTERPIECE

The Blue Mountains, Ontario Offered at: $5,975,000

Expansive outdoor entertaining areas with walls of glass and steel plus a 3 car garage. Over 9,500 sq. ft. finished interior with 7 Bedrooms, 6 full Baths & 3 half Baths. Custom floor-to-ceiling 2-sided wood burning fireplace, indoor swimming pool with waterwall feature, sauna & Bar/ Games area. MLS®40096595

Blane Johnson* Direct: 519 379 1785 blane.p.j@gmail.com Kim Johnson* Direct: 519 372 6158 kimjohnson@chestnutpark.com

SCOTCH MOUNTAIN

Meaford, Ontario Offered at: $2,700,000

Take a look at this rare 30-acre dream property! Located South West of Meaford Ontario, perched on the top of picturesque Scotch Mountain, featuring breathtaking views of Georgian Bay, and the rolling landscape of Meaford’s country side. Plenty of opportunities await!

OVERSIZED RAVINE LOT - BLUE MOUNTAINS

The Blue Mountains, Ontario Offered at: $1,299,000

Nipissing Ridge - Escarpment & Ravine Views with 171.61’ (frontage) x 367.15’ (on ravine side). Walk to Alpine and Craigleith Ski Clubs & Georgian Bay. Minutes to the Village & Blue Mountain. Everything for the active lifestyle! HST included. Full services at lot line. MLS®40095197

DEEDED ACCESS TO A PRIVATE SANDY BEACH

The Blue Mountains, Ontario Offered at: $799,000

Design and build your Dream Home. Shore Acres - where you can relax by the water’s edge with 400 ft of private beach. This large residential building lot (80’ x 195’) offers an impressive opportunity for a full time home or weekend getaway for the Lifestyle you’ve been waiting for! MLS®40088136

Beach Care:

Piping Plover Conservation at Wasaga Beach

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BIRDS CANADA Once enjoying a vast distribution across all five Great Lakes, the home of the piping plover (Charadrius melodus) has been shrinking for a century. But with proper beach management we can still ensure a future for this small shoreline bird.

Plover courtship, before mating. “This is called a goose step or tattoo,” explains Andrea Gress, Ontario Piping Plover Program Coordinator at Birds Canada. “The male kicks the female’s butt. It’s charming.”

Global wildlife populations are in freefall. But there are glimmers of hope, bright spots in the gloom. For example, cast your gaze along the sandy shores of Wasaga Beach and watch tiny piping plovers racing back and forth. Their very presence is an inspiring example of what can be accomplished when we make a concerted effort toward wildlife conservation.

Once enjoying a vast distribution across all five Great Lakes, the home of the piping plover (Charadrius melodus) has been shrinking for a century. The population of this small shoreline bird which nests in the sand suffered a dramatic decline after the Second World War due to an increased demand for beaches for recreational purposes. By 1986, there were just 16 nesting pairs across the entire Great Lakes, none in Ontario. It was a critical moment. In response to the crisis, the Piping Plover Recovery Program was launched, initially in Michigan. Piping Plover conservation began in Ontario when a breeding pair returned to Wasaga Beach in 2007, the first time in three decades. Protecting plovers is a collaborative effort between multiple parties, including Birds Canada, Ontario Parks, and Friends of Nancy Island. It also requires a multi-faceted campaign.

Efforts begin with wire predator exclosures placed over eggs as protection from predators, primarily gulls which are attracted to beaches by human activity – either because of carelessly left garbage or direct feeding. At the same time, a protected area extending 50m around the nest is created with temporary fencing to prevent people from approaching the piping plovers while they’re incubating their eggs and rearing young chicks. With over one million people flocking to Wasaga Beach Provincial Park every year, such fencing is vital. >>

A male incubating eggs, viewed through a predator exclosure designed to keep eggs safe from gulls, crows, and predatory mammals. Andrea Gress monitoring plover nests. Robust conservation efforts have seen Wasaga Beach become the most successful plover nesting site in Ontario.

Nests are monitored daily, and there is considerable outreach so that beachgoers understand and respect the protected area.

“Wasaga Beach is an excellent nesting site, one of the more successful in the Great Lakes,” explains Andrea Gress, Ontario Piping Plover Program Coordinator at Birds Canada. “We need to reach an average of 1.5 fledglings per pair each year to maintain and grow the population. Wasaga has reached that goal most years, often smashing it with as many as three fledglings per pair.” Overall, Ontario has fledged 147 chicks since 2007. Almost half of those birds have been from Wasaga.

“The management and volunteer efforts at Wasaga Beach are responsible for this success,” Gress explains. “The Park has taken extra care to allow natural vegetation growth on the beach, resulting in a beach with lots of food and shelter for young chicks. In recent years they’ve been closing the shoreline after the nest hatches, which gives chicks access to the best food sources along the water. The chicks at Wasaga Beach often weigh more than those at other beaches, another sign of a healthier beach.”

The biggest challenges these birds face is habitat loss. The common practices of bulldozing and raking beaches is destroying habitat and resulting in erosion of our beaches. “We need to improve how we treat our beaches, for plovers and for ourselves,” says Gress.

The species is not beyond help. With proper beach management we can still ensure a future for them.

“Wasaga Beach is the perfect example of how the right management efforts can have a big impact,” says Gress. “The Park has constantly strived to offer a balance between the needs of beachgoers and plovers.”

Signage designed by school children marks a restricted area surrounded by fencing, designed to keep people away from birds during the critical nesting and rearing period.