Registered Charitable Donations
Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority is a not-for-profit organization and registered charity through CanadaHelps. You will receive an official electronic tax receipt by email. Choose where you give:
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Conservation Areas and Greenspace Protection - Support the management and protection of our Conservation Areas and greenspaces that make our communities more livable, and protect important environmental features and functions.
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Stewardship and Biodiversity - Support environmental stewardship and biodiversity projects such as wetland and natural area restoration, tree plantings, fish management—all of which help to improve watershed health and climate change resilience.
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Environmental Education and Community Engagement – Support our education and engagement programs that foster an appreciation for nature. Teaching about environmental issues is a powerful way to overcome the challenges we face today, like climate change, and prepare for the challenges of the future.
Volunteer Opportunities
There are a variety of volunteer experiences available to families, high school and post-secondary students, recent graduates, retired professionals, seniors and people looking to create a healthier watershed community and planet. Your efforts help support local environmental conservation projects, allow you to meet new people to create a community network and provide you with a variety of new skills or an opportunity to share existing skills in a new way.
Corporate Sponsorship
We are always looking for opportunities to serve the community in partnership with local business and corporations. We welcome corporate sponsorship at our public events and our two large community festivals: the Durham Children's Watershed Festival and the Purple Woods Maple Syrup Festival. We also offer a variety of volunteer opportunities for corporations.
Purple Woods Maple Syrup Festival
Sponsorship Opportunities
We are proud to recognize sponsors through signage, event promotions, on our website and on social media. Sponsors also receive 10 guest passes to attend the Festival on any day.
For more information on becoming a sponsor please contact:
Yvonne Storm, Festival Planner and Volunteer Facilitator
Central Lake Ontario Conservation
Community Groups Pancake Program
Your not-for-profit community organization could be part of Central Lake Ontario Conservation’s annual fundraiser program at the Purple Woods Maple Syrup Festival! Community groups work alongside Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority kitchen staff in food services delivery including clean-up, customer service, and waste management. Groups are required to provide a minimum of 8 adult volunteers or a minimum of 4 adults and 7 youth to serve from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for 1-3 days at the Festival. $400 will be donated to the community group for each day of service. A formal agreement is to be signed by the group in advance of the program ensuring that all participants have read and will follow our Pancake Program Heritage Kitchen and Hall Delivery Expectations and Mandatory Requirements document (request document in an alternative format). Organizations must also provide a certificate of insurance. An on-site orientation will be provided to the group on each of the days of service.
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Applications are open for the 2025 Festival!
For more information please contact:
Yvonne Storm, Festival Planner and Volunteer Facilitator
Brick by Brick: Commemorative Heritage Walk
Heritage Hall, located at Purple Woods Conservation Area, is a meeting place and education centre built from recycled wood in the spirit of a rural Ontario barn.
Outside Heritage Hall we have created a “Heritage Walk” with bricks inscribed with the names of people we want to remember or our community wants to remember. The minimum contribution for each brick is $100 which includes four lines with a maximum of 10 characters per line (including spaces and punctuation). Heritage bricks measure 9 square inches (22.5cm) and are engraved using a technology that will not fade, chip, oxidize or peel.
Brick orders are accepted on a continuous basis and will be placed in the Heritage Walk once the minimum order quantity has been filled. You will be notified when your brick has been placed.
All proceeds from the Heritage Walk program will benefit the education and outreach programs provided by Central Lake Ontario Conservation at Purple Woods Conservation Area, including support for our annual Purple Woods Maple Syrup Festival.
For more information please contact:
Brandi Boardman, Executive / Accounting Administrator
Memorial Bench Program
The Memorial Bench Program is intended for families mourning the loss of loved ones. Benches are installed in our Conservation Areas at pre-approved locations offering users rest locations while remembering and honouring loved ones.
Cost: $1,500; plaque is supplied by donor (max. size 10 cm high by any length). Charitable receipts will be issued upon request.
For available locations and to apply to participate in this Program, please complete the information on the below form.
For more information please contact:
Alex Cooper, Resource Technician
Land Donations
The Cane property is 26.9 hectares of land located in the headwaters of the Bowmanville Soper Creek watershed in the Oak Ridges Moraine. It was donated in 2007 by Doris and William Cane to Central Lake Ontario Conservation, to provide an important corridor between two of the largest Natural Core Areas in the eastern portion of the Moraine.
Central Lake Ontario Conservation owns and manages over 2,900 hectares of conservation land in our effort to protect significant wetlands, valleylands, forests, meadows, groundwater resources, aquatic environments and other important wildlife habitats. Some of these lands include floodplain areas adjacent to creeks in order to protect life and property from the hazards of flooding.
Many of these lands have been received through land donations and conservation agreements. This allows donors of land or conservation agreements to receive a significant reduction in the amount of their federal and provincial tax payable through tax credits resulting from the value of the gifted lands. Donations of ecologically sensitive land can be applied against 100 percent of a donor’s income. Donors also pay no capital gains tax on these eco gifts.
For more information, please contact your financial advisor, legal counsel or the Director of Watershed Planning and Natural Heritage, Jamie Davidson at jdavidson@cloca.com