Larrimac ecological corridor

By Trevor Greenway

Local Journalism Reporter

ACRE has saved another 11 acres of undeveloped forest in Larrimac, which is full of old-growth trees, birds, coyotes, bears and a natural wetland. 

Action Chelsea for the Respect of the Environment (ACRE) announced the deal in December of last year and said the Brink Forest is an important property that will link up with the Larrimac ecological corridor, which is home to more than 190 species of flora and fauna, the latter travelling to and from Gatineau Park. 

“This was one of the larger properties that had potential,” said ACRE president Stephen Woodley, explaining that his non-profit organization had been eyeing the Brink Forest for a decade, but only started talking seriously with the owners about four years ago. He said ACRE saw the opportunity to expand the Larrimac ecological corridor and link this property up with other land in the area that it has already protected. 

The Larrimac ecological corridor is a federally-recognized protected area for wildlife to move between Gatineau Park and the Gatineau River. 

“We’ve gotten the golf course property. We’ve got the Dionne-Wilson Forest and we got the Jolicoeur-McMartin Forest,” said Woodley, referring to past land acquisitions. “They all come together to make a large block. We’re interested in other properties up there as well to really make a large protected area for Chelsea.”

ACRE preserved 77 acres of land in the Jolicoeur-McMartin Forest in 2022 after 144 donors in Chelsea came up with close to half a million dollars in funding. That same year ACRE also secured 44-acres of the nearby Dionne-Wilson Forest after landowners, Maryse Dionne and Mark Wilson, donated the land for ACRE to protect in perpetuity. 

Woodley praised the generosity of Hills residents – notably Dionne and Wilson, the 144 donors on the Jolicoeur-McMartin deal and Lars and Satya Brink, who donated the recent 11 acres of the Brink Forest to ACRE. 

“People love nature here,” said Woodley. “There’s also kind of a unique cultural thing happening in the Hills … but you know, culture and nature are intertwined, and protecting nature and loving nature is part of who we are in the Gatineau Hills. We [ACRE] are a tool, which is really implementing the community’s desire to conserve and protect nature.”

Woodley clearly noted that ACRE is “not anti-development,” but an organization that wants to monitor smart growth and work with developers to protect key areas while municipalities grow. 

“We’re for smart development, and smart development means that there’s areas which are important to protect as we build out,” added Woodley. “And we’ve always said we will be remembered for what we protect more than what we develop.”

Woodley said he was especially happy about protecting the Brink Forest, as it is rich in old-growth trees, including sugar maples, hemlock-white pine and other mature growth. But the forest is also an important nesting site for interior bird species, including the ovenbird, hermit thrush, American redstart and red-eyed vireo. ACRE cameras installed along the trails of the property have captured black bears, eastern coyotes and fishers moving through the corridor. 

Woodley also said that the forest contains many trails throughout, which link up with various other trails in the Larrimac area. Woodley confirmed that those trails would be maintained for community use. 

This latest acquisition marks the 11th property that ACRE has acquired, totalling an impressive 365 acres of greenspace worth $5.6 million, which will never be developed.

ACRES land acquisition by the numbers

365 acres

11 properties

$1.6M cash donations

$1.6M land donations

$3.3M total donations

$5.6M raised for land acquisitions