[3][4] Willcocks and his family moved to Upper Canada, where his cousin Peter Russell became interim administrator after the departure of John Graves Simcoe in 1796.

[3] Willcocks "was an active land speculator" who acquired significant holdings in Upper Canada, including 800 acres (3.2 km2) surrounding the lake.

The developments affected the forests of the Oak Ridges Moraine which supplies water to the GTA, which caused environmental damage to Toronto.

[9] The total complex has some ninety individually identified wetlands, covering 102 hectares, of which 57% is classified as swamp, 39% as marsh and 4% as bog.

Beginning in 1997, the town of Richmond Hill undertook a project to restore the lake's condition, which had degraded because of pollution and development.

Indigenous animal life includes muskrats, great horned owls and painted turtles.

The town of Richmond Hill maintains three municipal recreational parks along the shores of Lake Wilcox.

The Lake Wilcox Fish and Wildlife Refuge is left in a natural state.