Cawthra Mulock Nature Reserve

Situated  just north of the Oak Ridges Moraine, the Cawthra Mulock Nature Reserve’s  rolling hills and forested ridges are a refuge for wildlife.

Donated  to Ontario Nature in 2003, the Cawthra Mulock Nature Reserve is a valuable  contribution towards the conservation of nature. Julyan Mulock and the Cawthra  Mulock Foundation generously donated the 108-hectare property, ensuring that  the land would be protected in perpetuity.

Located  just north of Newmarket, the property is a  valuable green space in a highly developed area of Ontario. It is identified as being a key  natural area in the York Region Greening Strategy. The Cawthra Mulock Nature  Reserve also falls within the context of the Ontario  government’s new Greenbelt  system.

Surrounded  by intense agricultural and urban development, the reserve provides refuge to a  variety of wildlife. The most notable feature of this property is the diversity  of habitats it encompasses. The property hosts a large tract of mature hardwood  and mixed forests. Enormous beech trees rub shoulders with tall maples and  hemlock. A small wetland area, dominated by birch trees and larch, is part of  the larger Ansnorveldt wetland complex. Located in the West Holland   River watershed, the property  boasts two creeks. White-tailed deer, red fox, great blue herons, red-tailed  hawks and great-horned owls are just a few of the residents that call this  nature reserve home.

During  the 31 years that the Mulocks lived on the property, they made a number of  contributions towards its naturalization. Over 10,000 pines were planted in the  old fields. Many of the old fields were allowed to regenerate naturally and are  now important habitat for a variety of sparrows and other meadow birds.

In  2007, the York-Simcoe Field Naturalists’ Club became the official stewards of  the Cawthra Mulock Nature Reserve and is actively assisting with a variety of  restoration, monitoring and access improvement projects on the property.

There  is a system of well-marked trails, including interpretive signs, and visitors  are invited to walk the property.

For more information about the Cawthra Mulock Nature Reserve, please click here.