An Oasis Uncovered
An Oasis Uncovered
WRITTEN BY EUGÉNIE GAUJACQ, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
On a peaceful August morning, we followed land donors Bob Bancroft and Alice Reed through the old-growth forest property in Gagetown. As they led us into the dense forest, the sweet smell of pine after rain filled our nostrils. They quickly drew us in with their love for our natural world, sharing captivating stories of their time on the land. From trilliums and ghost pipe to the lone bur oak tree found on the property, their excitement as they identified the surrounding wildlife and vegetation was infectious, and it did not take long for us to realize just how special this place is.
Bob and Alice are both environmental leaders with a passion for conservation.
Bob’s love for nature was sparked by his parents, who took him and his brothers out on the land and waters early on. He fondly recounts spending a part of his childhood as a “free-range kid” in Yukon. It is here, he says, he became keen about the natural spaces around him; “I was walking on a log across a stream one day, and a lynx came in the other way. It just pretended I wasn’t there because I wasn’t a squirrel to chase or anything, and I just found that nature was fascinating.”
His appreciation for nature did not stop in his youth. Bob became a biologist, well-known for his work and advocacy in forest conservation, river restoration and wildlife rehabilitation. He has served various roles for countless environmental organizations, including the Canadian Wildlife Federation and Nature Nova Scotia. Bob has also been featured regularly on CBC’s Maritime Noon for decades, where the public phones in with questions for him about wildlife. He has co-authored a forestry-wildlife manual and often writes for numerous magazines and journals, such as Saltscapes and the NB Media Co-op.
Alice grew up in suburban Toronto but spent her summers at her family cottage in Muskoka, where her parents passed down their love for the outdoors. “We’d drive the three hours to the cottage, and I loved it. I hated going back to school. I mean, I enjoyed school, but at the end of August, I’d cry because I had to leave.” She recounts learning how to swim, paddle and sail on the lake, as well as spending countless hours wandering in the woods, building (mostly imaginary) forts, and uncovering all the species she could find. Alice enjoyed these moments and found contentment in the outdoors: “I felt comfortable in nature.”
Alice obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Mount Allison University and made her living as a landscape artist. Her work centers on her love of nature and conservation and can be found in collections worldwide. Alice is an Honorary Director of the Nova Scotia Nature Trust and received a Nova Scotia Environmental Award in 1998 for her exhibition Sacred Worth – a series of watercolour paintings of 31 candidate wilderness areas that the province eventually protected.
Alice Reed and Bob Bancroft at the Gagetown property
The pair say they purchased the old-growth forest property almost by chance. They were simply looking for a place big enough to put their travel trailer and have some shade. “We felt like this property just kind of landed in our lap,” says Alice, “we just wanted trees and some privacy.”
They didn’t realize they had gotten more than what they bargained for until, one day, Bob wandered further into the property. “All I’d ever done is work on the campsite,” says Bob, “so I decided I was going to find out what the rest of the place looked like.” He was astounded by the unique habitats he found neighbouring them. He recalls urging Alice as soon as she returned to the camp: “We have got to go for a walk.”
After this, they knew they had to ensure its protection. So they reached out to the Nature Trust of New Brunswick to see if they were interested in conserving the land, and the rest is now history.
The old-growth forest property in Gagetown (name to be determined) is a newly established 11-hectare (27.2-acre) nature preserve containing silver maple floodplain forest and Provincially Significant Wetlands. Carving through the property is a rich creek which spills into Harts Lake, an Ecologically Significant Area. Roaming the forest and speckling the sky are a variety of rare, uncommon, and at-risk species that call this area home.
Alice and Bob say they are delighted and relieved to know it has been protected into the future. “Even when we do not see the animals, we hear them, or we see their tracks or their scat. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that something you’ve done is actually helping them continue to live here,” says Alice. “It makes good sense, and I’m just really grateful,” adds Bob.
We ventured through the magical silver maple floodplain forest, gently treading through its dense understory of sensitive and ostrich ferns. As we reached a quiet pool in the winding creek, we got in a canoe and began navigating downstream toward Harts Lake. We sat, gently floating on the water, ducking under branches of trees reaching overhead, and taking in the lush green beauty of the surrounding wetlands.
As we made a right turn on the branching stream, we spotted two painted turtles on a log, basking in the warm August sun. In that moment, it was thrilling to know that this special wildlife sanctuary is now protected for species like these to thrive in perpetuity.
Thank you, Alice and Bob, for making the important decision to protect this intact ecosystem and for choosing to Conserve Y(our) NB.