Donor Spotlight

Vi and Colin Bain

Vi and Colin Bain have a special love for Manitoulin Island and the north shore of Lake Huron. It was only natural, then, that when they were doing their estate planning and drawing up their wills they thought of a legacy gift to Ontario Nature to support land acquisition on Manitoulin and Lake Huron’s north shore.

Colin and Vi Bain.

Vi recalls visiting Manitoulin many times as a child and as a young adult. She remembers that Manitoulin, with its great beaches, small towns, marinas and farms is quite different from Sudbury where she grew up. Its geology is also unique, being the last outcrop of the Niagara Escarpment. As a girl, Vi hunted for fossils and calcite crystals with her father who was an amateur “rock hound.” Later, Vi was able to reconnect with Manitoulin when, in 1999, she and her husband Colin purchased a cottage there near Spring Bay. They have been returning every summer since to enjoy the clean air, beaches and people.

For nature lovers, Manitoulin affords an incredible diversity of habitats and wildlife. Vi, an avid botanist, has found many interesting varieties of orchids including small purple fringed orchid, royal, pink and yellow lady’s-slipper, ladies’-tresses, and other plants such as bird’s-eye primrose, fringed gentian, prairie smoke, pitcher-plant, and potentilla. Manitoulin’s bird species include great horned owls, loggerhead shrikes, pileated woodpeckers, ravens, and migrating sandhill cranes which pass through in September.

For the retired schoolteachers who live just outside Guelph, the decision to leave a bequest to Ontario Nature evolved out of their love of the province and its natural beauty. Vi has been a member of Ontario Nature for more than 25 years. The couple doesn’t have children and felt that they would like to do something good for the future through their wills. They looked into other organizations, some national, and some U.S.-based, but only Ontario Nature has a provincial focus. Vi says, “Ontario Nature always seemed to me to be the pinnacle of interest in nature and care for the environment. It was the first organization I thought of in terms of land preservation.” Their bequest is designated for the Nature Reserves Acquisition Fund to go towards the acquisition of a property on Manitoulin or the north shore of Lake Huron. They have specified that part of their bequest will be used for stewardship of the property that is purchased for ongoing maintenance.

Vi and Colin feel that it is important that the bequest protect land especially as it is increasingly under threat from development. They say that protecting land allows people to experience nature, and helps instill a love of the natural world. The Bains point out that Manitoulin is still fairly pristine, and although there are threats there too (including from the limestone industry) a balance is still maintained between agriculture and preservation, and there is an opportunity to conserve the island’s natural features.

Ontario Nature would like to thank Vi and Colin for their foresight and caring. Their love of Manitoulin and Lake Huron’s north shore, and their desire to see it protected into the future, is an inspiration to everyone who cares about preserving the natural world.

Find out more about making a bequest to Ontario Nature.