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The Algonquin to Adirondacks Collaborative (A2A) is an environmental NGO, a registered charity, and a not-for-profit multi-national (

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

). This network of partners works together to connect lands and people from

Algonquin Provincial Park Algonquin Provincial Park is a provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Ontario, Canada, mostly within the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established in 1893, it is the oldest provincial park in Cana ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada to the Adirondacks in

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

. The Algonquin to Adirondacks region represents a critical link for biodiversity and resilience in North America.

History

In the 1990s, the

Ottawa Valley The Ottawa Valley is the valley of the Ottawa River, along the boundary between Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais, Quebec, Canada. The valley is the transition between the Saint Lawrence Lowlands and the Canadian Shield. Because of the surroundi ...

chapter of the

Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) (french: la Société pour la nature et les parcs du Canada (SNAP)) was founded in 1963 to help protect Canada's wilderness. Overview CPAWS was initially known as the National and Provincial Pa ...

convened a committee to discuss a landscape conservation effort to ensure ecological connectivity and help restore biodiversity from Algonquin Park to the Adirondacks, along the Frontenac Arch. The Algonquin to Adirondacks (A2A) Conservation Association (now Collaborative) was incorporated in 2002 to enhance habitat connectivity and maintain native biodiversity in the region. The organization is similar to its sister conservation corridor in western North America, the

Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative or Y2Y is a transboundary Canada–United States not-for-profit organization that aims to connect and protect the 2,000 mile (3,200 kilometre) Yellowstone-to-Yukon region. Its mission proposes to mai ...

, and Two Countries, One Forest (a project of the

Wildlife Conservation Society The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a non-governmental organization headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, that aims to conserve the world's largest wild places in 14 priority regions. Founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological ...

), in conducting landscape conservation work across international boundaries. In the first decade (2002-2012) the A2A Conservation Association worked to support partner organizations, and conduct projects with their help, on the Canadian side of the

Thousand Islands The Thousand Islands (french: Mille-Îles) constitute a North American archipelago of 1,864 islands that straddles the Canada–US border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for abo ...

region of the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...

. This area was strategic because it is the pinch point of the A2A Region and the communities on the Canadian side were very engaged in conservation efforts. Projects included water quality analyses, shoreline analyses, and creating resources for landowners. During two visioning workshops in 2012, partners identified the need for the A2A Conservation Association to be reimagined as a Collaborative. This led to a change in name and organizational structure. In response to the notable lack of American representation, partners also called for the A2A Collaborative to better embody its name by becoming a less local and more regional initiative with more American representation. Concerted outreach led to new American partners and American members of the Board of Directors. In 2014, the A2A Collaborative received capacity-building support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to hire a full-time coordinator and hold partner events. The inaugural A2A Collaborative Partner Meeting in Brockville, Ontario, March 29–30, 2014, saw 42 participants representing 31 different organizations across the A2A Region.

Biodiversity

Mammals: In the A2A Region there are an estimated 54 species, including

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

marten A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on t ...

lynx A lynx is a type of wild cat. Lynx may also refer to: Astronomy * Lynx (constellation) * Lynx (Chinese astronomy) * Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory Places Canada * Lynx, Ontar ...

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...

black bear Black bear or Blackbear may refer to: Animals * American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species * Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species Music * Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...

, ermine,

fisher Fisher is an archaic term for a fisherman, revived as gender-neutral. Fisher, Fishers or The Fisher may also refer to: Places Australia *Division of Fisher, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, in Queensland *Elect ...

, and

grey fox The gray fox (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener (biology), congener, the diminutive island fox ...

, which is considered threatened. Birds: More than 165 confirmed species of breeding birds in the region — eight vulnerable species and two endangered. As a result, 60% of the area falls into the highest possible class for number of species (>104 species/100 km²). Reptiles: 17 species, five of which are uncommon. Plants: 81 rare species, including

sedges The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' wit ...

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

cacti A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

legumes A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock fo ...

asters ''Aster'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Its circumscription has been narrowed, and it now encompasses around 170 species, all but one of which are restricted to Eurasia; many species formerly in ''Aster'' are ...

, gentians,

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

s, and half of Canada's remaining population of wild

ginseng Ginseng () is the root of plants in the genus ''Panax'', such as Korean ginseng ('' P. ginseng''), South China ginseng ('' P. notoginseng''), and American ginseng ('' P. quinquefolius''), typically characterized by the presence of ginsenosides an ...

Vision

The A2A Collaborative's vision is of "an A2A region comprising a resilient, ecologically interconnected landscape that sustains a full range of native wildlife and enhances people's quality of life for generations to come."

Recognition

In 2004, the A2A Collaborative was recognized by the

North American Native Plant Society The North American Native Plant Society (NANPS) is a volunteer-operated registered charitable organization concerned with conserving native plants in wild areas and restoring indigenous flora to developed areas. It is noted for its work in educat ...

, with the Paul McGaw Memorial Conservation Award, for its efforts to maintain and restore the natural connectivity for flora and fauna. In 2010, the A2A Collaborative was recognized by

Ontario Nature Ontario Nature is a non-profit organization based in Toronto that promotes the preservation and conservation of wild species and spaces in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was established in 1931 as the Federation of Ontario Naturalists and ch ...

, with the Steve Hounsell Greenway Award, for its major contributions toward the Greenway vision.

Challenges

* Reducing habitat fragmentation * Fostering landowner enthusiasm and commitment * Sustaining organizational capacity * Shifting from a local focus to a more regional perspective * Making concrete progress toward the vision

Projects

Connectivity Analysis: In partnership with the

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources The Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry is a government ministry of the Canadian province of Ontario that is responsible for Ontario's provincial parks, forests, fisheries, wildlife, mineral aggregates and the Crown lands ...

, and supported by the McLean Foundation, the A2A Collaborative is currently conducting a connectivity analysis of the A2A Region to help prioritize conservation efforts. Examples of such efforts include

land trust Land trusts are nonprofit organizations which own and manage land, and sometimes waters. There are three common types of land trust, distinguished from one another by the ways in which they are legally structured and by the purposes for which th ...

purchases or

conservation easements In the United States, a conservation easement (also called conservation covenant, conservation restriction or conservation servitude) is a power invested in a qualified private land conservation organization (often called a "land trust") or gove ...

, species-at-risk programs, and landowner education. Highway 401 Wildlife Crossings: In partnership with the Ontario Road Ecology Group, and supported by the

's Species At Risk Fund, the A2A Collaborative is identifying the most important areas for wildlife crossings to be built or enhanced. This work is being done along

highway 401 King's Highway 401, commonly referred to as Highway 401 and also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway or colloquially referred to as the four-oh-one, is a controlled-access 400-series highway in the Canadian provin ...

between

Gananoque Gananoque ( ) is a town in the Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Leeds and Grenville area of Ontario, Canada. The town had a population of 5,383 year-round residents in the 2021 Canadian census, 2021 Canadian Census, as well as summer resident ...

and Mallorytown, where the parallel

is narrow and north-south migration is most feasible. A2A Trail: A new project to build a hiking trail from Algonquin to Adirondacks parks with the goals of fostering an identity for the region, recreational possibilities, increased human well-being, and local economic activity.

References

{{reflist Environmental organizations based in Ontario Nature conservation organizations based in the United States Organizations established in 2002 Transboundary protected areas Nature conservation organizations based in Canada