Burgoyne Outdoor Education & Research Centre (BOERC)

Property History
The 50.0 acre property was donated to Ridley College by the Burgoyne Family in 1997. The Burgoyne's named the property the Idle Plow and used it as a social and recreational retreat. For their own use, the Burgoyne's built three short golf holes, a tennis court and several small ponds. The orginal barn was renovated to store equipment and allow for seasonal use. Forest management activities were limited to pruning and tree removal due to windthrow, trail establishment and maintenance and the collection of small amounts of firewood for family use. A search of Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) management files found no OMNR directed activities. In September 2002, the name of the property was changed from the Idle Plow to the Burgoyne Outdoor Education and Research Centre to reflect the significant contributions the Burgoyne family have made to Ridley College.

Since 1997, Ridley College has gradually been developing the property into an outdoor educational centre and retreat. The golf fairways are being allowed to return to meadows, a trail system has been established including a raised platform into one of the wetlands, an astronomy viewing deck has been built, ponds are being aerated, non-native, invasive species are being removed, and natural vegetation and wildlife are being encouraged. In 2001, Owl Forestry Services was contracted to mark the wood lot for a sawlog harvest. One hundred and thirty-six trees were marked totaling approximately 27 000 fbm. The harvest was canceled with the agreement of both parties once a forest inventory was conducted and the impact of the harvest realized.

Importance of Property to Surrounding Landscape
The Niagara Peninsula is located within what has come to be known as the Carolinian life zone. As the most northerly extension of the eastern deciduous forest zone, Carolinian Canada is home to many species typical of areas further south, in the United States. It is one of the richest ecosystems in Canada, supporting an unusual variety of plant and animal life: 2 200 plant species, nearly 400 species of birds, and 47 species of reptiles and amphibians. Many of these species are rare in Ontario and in Canada, occurring naturally only in the Carolinian life zone. Forty percent of Ontario's rare plants are restricted to this area.

Prior to the European settlement, forests covered most of the Peninsula; and, approximately one-third of this land area was in wetland, much of it wet forest. With the intensive clearing that accompanied the settlement, much of the forested land was converted to other uses, especially in the areas of upland forest where it is easier to convert the land to agriculture. It is estimated that 90% of the woodland in southern Ontario had been removed by 1920. By that time it was becoming evident that the lack of forest cover was creating serious problems such as a shortage of wood, soil erosion, stream degradation, and water pollution.

Staff at the OMNR estimated that, in 1989, 19% of the Peninsula was productive forest land, however, about one-third of the land classified as forested was only lightly treed. Over seventy-five per cent of the area originally in wetland had been converted to other uses.

The property forms part of the Fifteen Mile Creek Headwaters wetland complex which part of a provincially significant class 1 wetland. The wetland is a small, fragmented wetland complex of which 9.3 hectares (23.1 acres) are on the Ridley College property. The wetland is composed of ninety-four per cent swamp and six per cent marsh. The types of soil located around this area consist of 100% clay, loams or silts. The surrounding land uses consist of row crops, pasture, abandoned agricultural land, deciduous forest, coniferous forest, urban development, fence rows, undulating and hilly terrain with ravines and creeks. Recreational activities enjoyed on the surrounding properties include, hunting and nature appreciation. Human disturbances include a pipe line easement, hydro corridors and agriculture. The forest provides habitat for many species of birds, a great horned owl, numerous wild turkey, raccoon, mink, muskrat, deer and coyotes.

The Burgoyne property is typical of the lowland hardwood forests that dominate the Township of West Lincoln. The wood lot is also described as an inter linked forest where it is part of a series of blocks of forests (<250 ac or 100 ha)interconnected by corridors of tree fence rows, riparian areas, or other natural areas. Inter linked forests permit better movement by wildlife and exchange of genetic material than do isolated forest; however, they have more forest edge per acre than core forest (>250 ac or 100 ha) and are more susceptible to invasive species than core forests. Inter linked forests are excellent candidates for forest expansion and restoration. Gaps between inter linked forests can be reforested to create large core forests. The wood lot along the east boundary is being actively managed by the landowner under the guidance of Trees Unlimited.