Located in Wilberforce, Ontario in Haliburton County, Greenmantle is
over 300 acres of land that has not been greatly altered since the last ice age.
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It contains the rare mineral fluororicherite, in its only known location in Canada. It is also home to apatite, hornblende, orthoclase, quartz, clinohumite and more. Mineral specimens from Greenmantle are now in the ROM, the Museum of Nature in Ottawa, the Smithsonian, and in private collections around the world.
The Bramham family offer guided eco-tours of their mineral occurrence.
The combination of rarity and the undisturbed state of the mineral deposits provide a great opportunity for those wishing to learn more about how the rock underneath creates our natural world above.
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"Mark gives a great tour of his land, showing the ecological connections and the stunning mineral specimens. It is like visiting a mineral museum, but in the great outdoors!
He has a real heart for conservation too."
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Dr. Charles Carrigan, geologist
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Welcome to the Greenmantle Forest.
Welcome to the Greenmantle Forest. A very special forest.
Mark and Sandra Bramham have dedicated decades to preserving this land that is home to very rare minerals.They want to protect it so much, that they fought for years to buy the mining rights - so that it is not mined!
To help pay for the mining taxes, they offer up close and personal tours.
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Come and explore, and see living science. And know that your tour is helping to preserve the land.
Greenmantle Minerals
Visit and learn how crystals grow.
Fluororichterite
This is the only known location of Fluororichterite in Canada. Exceedingly rare,it is only found in two other places in the world.
Specimens from Greenmantle are in museums all over the world.
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Hornblende
A member of the amphibole family, there are large specimens at Greenmantle.
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Orthoclase
A member of the feldspar family. There are very large crystals found in faults.
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Apatite
A common mineral taking a hexagonal crystal form. They can be found in red and green.
Clinohumite
Rarely found in crystal form. Greenmantle samples are in the ROM, the Smithsonian, and all over the world.
"Mark and Sandra Bramham are the proud owners of an extraordinary piece of property. They are the keepers of what is arguably a globally significant mineral occurrence."
John Etches,
Operations Manager, Ontario Parks
There are over 2,200 maple syrup taps in this untouched forest.
A state of the art tubing system, reverse osmosis, and a wood-fired evaporator, combined with
rare minerals that feed the trees, creates some of the best tasting maple syrup.
Experience maple syrup from the land before time.
"It tastes amazing - so buttery."
Jonny Harris visits Esson Creek/Greenmantle Mineral Tours for an episode of CBC's Still Standing.
Here he is with Mark and Sandra Bramham.