A love of nature led the late Don Elliott and his wife, Heather to ensure a rare and mature seven-hectare woodlot in southern Ontario's Oro Moraine was conserved and protected for future generations. Known as Elliott Woods, the land was donated to the Couchiching Conservancy in November 2006, whose mandate is to uphold the natural features of the forest while sharing it with the community. It's exactly what Don Elliott had hoped for the area.
“Protecting Elliott Woods was almost a moral and spiritual imperative for Don,” said Heather Elliott. “He cared very deeply about God's Creation, and felt that God has given us the responsibility to care for it.”
The Elliotts owned the land since 1966, spurred on by Don's appreciation for trees and nature. Thanks to Don and his brother's tender care of the woods over the decades, the lot matured to a high-quality hardwood forest, and has become a much-visited and loved escape for the Elliott family. It has since been identified as a natural heritage core area within the Township of Oro-Medonte's Official Plan.
But Don Elliott's visits to the woods ended on Nov. 1, 2006, when he died of cancer, just days after the woods were dedicated as a protected landscape. He was 71 years old. He was an elder at Glenview, Toronto, where Heather still worships and serves.
The Glenview congregation is continuing Don's concern for the environment by establishing the Caring for Creation team, which explores how Glenview can be more proactive in caring for the environment. So far, the team has held two educational events, and the church has replaced plastic cups with reusable glass cups for coffee hour. They are also looking into having an energy audit of the church building, and held a nature walk and picnic last September in Elliott Woods.
Don also served on the board of Knox College, and the board of the Presbyterian Record.
Please visit www.glenviewchurch.ca/delliott woods.htm for more information on Elliott Woods.
