As adventurous school kids roamed across rocky outcrops and through grassy meadows, Cara Gibson kindly calls on them to return to Christmas Hill's marked trails as she shares the importance of the rare plants growing all around. "Christmas Hill is actually really special so we have to try and stay on the trails ..
. I know it doesn't look like much but some of these lichens occur nowhere else in Canada," the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary's executive director tells the students as they climb off a rocky mound, some thanking her for the brief ecological education. The teachable moment reflects the sanctuary's daily mission, as the self-described "living classroom" aims to foster more understanding about the importance of its natural systems – from its Garry oak woodlands to the vernal ponds that were shaped by glacial activity.
That mission recently got a boost as the Christmas Hill side has been recognized as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), an official distinction handed out to pockets of nature that contribute to the persistence of biodiversity nationally and globally. The designated zones – which aim to promote conservation as they support rare or threatened species and ecosystems – must meet certain criteria to be deemed a KBA. “It’s a real delight, so many hands and hearts have been a part of this place, and so to see the recognition of all of that labour is really beautiful,” said Gibson, noting the thousands of volunteer hours that go into maintaini.
