35th Conservation Auction online for 2025 raises more than $30,000 for community
Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation and Exeter Lions Club thank generous local donors and bidders for raising more than $30,000 for needed community projects through Conservation Auction
The 35th Conservation Auction, which was online for 2025, has raised more than $30,000 to support local projects which could not happen without this community support. The early estimated net proceeds, of this year’s charitable fundraiser, are based on a combined total of online auction bids, donations, and ticket sales for the 50-50 raffle draw which took place prior to the virtual auction.
The Conservation Auction Committee Chair for 2025 is Chris Keller of the Exeter Lions Club. He said donors to the auction were very generous this year and so were bidders.
“On behalf of the Conservation Auction Committee, the Exeter Lions Club, and Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, I want to thank everyone who made this possible,” he said. “We give our heartfelt thanks to our generous local businesses, sponsors, donors, bidders, and volunteers. You have made a positive difference for your community and we can’t thank you enough.”
The success of this year’s event means that the Conservation Auction has raised more than $1.42 million over 35 years.
The Exeter Lions Club has been co-partner, with Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation and the watershed community, on the Auction, since 1991. Net profits are split evenly between projects of the Conservation Foundation and the Exeter Lions Club.
The annual charitable auction supports needed initiatives in the area, such as parks and trails and conservation areas, outdoor recreation events and experiences for youth and families, conservation education for the young and young at heart, job and education opportunities for youth, and other local conservation projects that depend on the auction for support.
Successful bidders in the online auction can pick up their items, during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), at the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation office, east of Exeter, at 71108 Morrison Line, by May 30. If you have any questions about the auction, please phone 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610.
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MORE THAN 130 ITEMS INCLUDED IN CONSERVATION AUCTION ONLINE FOR 2025: Thanks to generous donors and bidders, the 35th Conservation Auction, a partnership of Exeter Lions Club and Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation and the watershed community, raised more than $30,000 for local projects that need this support. There were more than 130 auction items in the virtual auction which ran from May 12-15. In this photo, Jackson Janmaat, of the Conservation Auction Committee, is shown with a couple of those items.