St. Thomas – Jim Lyle and family have gifted 35 acres of their historic home farm to the Kettle Creek Conservation Authority (KCCA). This contribution marks a significant step in habitat restoration, conservation, and the creation of a vital wildlife corridor in Southwold Township.
“My brother John and I are the last generation to farm these lands,” says Jim Lyle. “It was important to restore part of the farm to how my great grandfather found it in the 1870s. KCCA’s ability to protect and restore the lands was a big factor in our decision to donate.”
The newly donated property lies adjacent to the Deer Ridge Conservation Area, which was also gifted to KCCA in 2022 and 2024 by Lyle’s neighbors, Ted and Duggie Gill. Remarkably, both Deer Ridge and this newly donated 35-acre parcel were originally part of the Lyle family’s farm.
The Lyle family’s connection to this land spans generations. Jim Lyle’s great-grandfather, David Lyle, purchased the property in 1874, naming it Hope Farm. In the early 1900s, Jim’s grandfather, Stanley Lyle, renamed it Stenhouse Muir. For decades, the farm thrived as a dairy operation, with its grasslands and hills serving as summer pasture for cattle.
Today the farm is giving new hope for conservation in the watershed. The Kettle Creek watershed faces significant environmental challenges, with only 14% forest cover and 2.5% wetland cover, well below targets for biodiversity and watershed health.
KCCA has already initiated restoration on the property. A new wetland was constructed this fall and 10,000 trees will be planted in the coming years to connect existing forested areas and create a thriving wildlife corridor.
“The purpose of these lands has come full circle” says Grant Jones, KCCA’s Chair and Mayor of Southwold Township. “It’s incredibly responsible and generous of the Lyle family to recognize the importance of preserving our natural heritage and when we can enhance it for the future.”
The 35-acre property was donated through Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program and KCCA received financial support from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Canada Nature Fund for costs related to the acquisition.
The donation will be known as the Stanley Lyle Grove and will be managed by KCCA for conservation purposes. “This donation is a way for our family to remember my grandfather and honour the land that we have farmed and called home for generations.”
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Elizabeth VanHooren
General Manager
519-631-1270 x222
elizabeth@kettlecreekconservation.on.ca