Ontario protects 969 acres at Echo Lake, home to over 400 wildlife species

At the edge of Echo Lake in northern Ontario, a stretch of forest, wetlands, cliffs and waterways is set to become more than protected wilderness. It is also part of a larger effort to restore Indigenous stewardship over land with deep cultural roots. Nearly 1,000 acres at the lake's northeast end will now be protected through a partnership involving Garden River First Nation, the Central Algoma Land Trust and Ontario Nature, states an online report by Sootoday.The 392-hectare property in Kehoe Township will become the Paswe Protected Area, establishing what the partners describe as the region's first Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area. Paswe is the Anishinaabemowin name for echo, explains the online report.Returning land to Indigenous stewardshipThe property carries significance that extends beyond its ecological value.