FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MAY 6, 2021
FREDERICTON, NB

With the upcoming municipal elections on May 10th, the Nature Trust of New Brunswick (Nature Trust) is calling on candidates to include land conservation in their campaign platform.

In the City of Fredericton and Town of Woodstock, the Nature Trust currently protects several nature preserves in partnership with the local municipalities through lease and licensing agreements. The Nature Trust wrote to all candidates in both communities, urging them to strengthen protection for ecologically significant land in their region and highlighting conservation issues that are important to our organization and many residents in the area.

Access a copy of the letters sent to candidates in each municipality through the links below:

As of May 6th, 2021, the Nature Trust has received responses from four candidates: Kelly Murray (Ward 10), Sharon Levesque (Ward 6), and Margo Sheppard (Ward 1) are running for council in Fredericton and Trina (Jones) Milbury is running for council in Woodstock.

View their responses here:

CONSERVING ECOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT SPACES IN NEW BRUNSWICK:

Climate change and biodiversity loss are among the most pressing issues of our time, and conserving significant ecosystems, such as wetlands and mature forests, is growing to become equally as important. Many New Brunswickers consider these natural spaces, and the species that call them home, invaluable and essential parts of our lives. Conserving New Brunswick’s ecologically significant land is critical to preserving New Brunswick’s natural heritage.

Within the Fredericton city limits, the Nature Trust manages two natural spaces that are extremely important to both residents and the various species that call them home: the Hyla Park Nature Preserve and the Ferris Street Forest and Wetland Nature Preserve. The Hyla Park Nature Preserve serves as an amphibian sanctuary and protects 8 hectares (19 acres), while the Ferris Street Forest and Wetland Nature Preserve encompasses 21.5 hectares (53 acres) of mature forest and provincially significant wetland. These nature preserves are managed by the Nature Trust and protected in partnership with the City of Fredericton through lease and licensing agreements, respectively. They are both open to the public and have become an essential part of many Fredericton resident’s day-to-day life. These nature preserves provide residents and visitors with the opportunity to explore the habitats that our beautiful community has to offer, and their continued protection is critical.

In the Town of Woodstock, the Nature Trust manages the Beardsley Hill Nature Preserve, which contains 14 hectares (35 acres) of mixed forest and bog ecosystems, including a large section of Appalachian Hardwood forest. This preserve came under temporary protection of the Nature Trust in the year 2000 when the Town of Woodstock agreed to lease the land to our organization. In 2015, this lease was renewed for another ten years. As this habitat is extremely rare, the Nature Trust aims to continue to conserve this preserve and has urged candidates to consider protecting this land in perpetuity.

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ABOUT THE NATURE TRUST OF NEW BRUNSWICK:

Established in 1987, the Nature Trust of New Brunswick is a charitable land conservation organization dedicated to preserving the province’s ecologically significant landscapes. To date, the Nature Trust has conserved over 9,000 acres in more than 60 beautiful and diverse nature preserves in New Brunswick.

Our mission is to conserve areas in New Brunswick that are ecologically significant, to establish nature preserves that remain protected forever, to steward the preserves through a network of volunteers and supporters, and to engage with the public on the importance of land conservation, New Brunswick’s natural heritage, biodiversity, and species at risk.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kelsey Hogan
Acting Communications and Engagement Coordinator
Nature Trust of New Brunswick
kelsey.hogan@ntnb.org