CONSERVATION MANITOU to acquire 250-acre Atwater Lake Property
May 21, 2016 (Ivry-sur-le-Lac, Quebec) – CONSERVATION MANITOU is proud to announce that it will acquire 250 acres of forested land located in Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, south of Lake Manitou and surrounding Lac de la Loutre, known locally as Atwater Lake. Almost forgotten today, James Sherrard and Lucy Atwater, grand-daughter of the 19th century industrialist Edwin Atwater for whom Atwater Avenue in Montreal is named, were significant actors in the early days of Lake Manitou. In 1918, they acquired Viscount Raoul Ogier d’Ivry’s boathouse at the entrance to Johnson’s Arm, followed two years later by the purchase of what is today Shirley Stikeman’s lakefront property. In 1934, after their just completed fieldstone house caught fire, the Sherrards sold that property to Alan McCall, Shirley’s father, and built a new home up the hill across Lake Manitou South Road. They shared this new property with Lucy’s unmarried sister Edith Atwater. Edith took a fancy to the small lake up at the back of the property and built a cabin on what local residents called Miss Atwater’s Lake. After passing through several hands and becoming known as Levesque’s Farm, Shirley Stikeman had the foresight to acquire the former Sherrard property in 1998, and is now donating 250 acres of it to CONSERVATION MANITOU under Environment Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program.
Going forward, Atwater Lake, officially called Lac de la Loutre, and its surroundings which are frequented by deer, moose and bear, will become an ecologically significant conservation area. “Shirley Stikeman is continuing the tradition of land conservation inspired by her father Alan McCall by entrusting us with the preservation of this important part of our local ecosystem.” declares Stephen Takacsy, Chair of CONSERVATION MANITOU. “Our community is deeply grateful to Shirley for this incredible act of generosity which will benefit generations to come.”
Including the above, CONSERVATION MANITOU will own 535 acres of forested conservation lands with over 2 kilometers of shoreline on Lake Manitou and Horseshoe Lake. It is one of the leading organizations dedicated to the preservation of natural areas in the Laurentians and is a registered charity and a qualified recipient of Environment Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program. Its mission is to preserve and protect the ecosystem and natural environment of Lake Manitou and its surroundings, by acquiring land and conservation easements, either donated or purchased, and providing stewardship in perpetuity.
To donate please make your cheque payable to CONSERVATION MANITOU and mail to: 1800 McGill College, suite 2102, Montreal, Quebec H3A 3J6