Nature Trust celebrates 13,000 acres-protected milestone!
Nature Trust celebrates 13,000 acres-protected milestone!
WRITTEN BY ASH NOBLE & JON MACNEILL
The Nature Trust of New Brunswick is proud to announce it has reached a new land protection milestone, now conserving more than 13,000 acres (5260.9 hectares) of pristine wilderness across the province with the recent expansion of the Réserve naturelle Grande-Digue Nature Preserve!
First established in March 2023, Réserve naturelle Grande-Digue Nature Preserve now encompasses 368.9 acres (149.3 ha) of mixed wood forest home to threatened species such as the Eastern wood pee-wee and an extensive network of hiking, walking and cross-country ski trails.
Combined with other new preserves saving rich Appalachian Hardwood Forest, critical wetland habitat, and Bay of Fundy islands, the Nature Trust is quickly closing in on its Conserve Y(our) NB campaign goal to protect 15,000 acres by 2030, which would represent a doubling of our preserve network since the campaign’s launch four years ago.
“We are in an exciting time of exponential growth for the Nature Trust and for saving nature across New Brunswick,” said Stephanie Merrill, Nature Trust CEO. “Thirty-seven years ago, our organization began as a dream planted in the minds of a key group of naturalists and nature lovers. That deep love for deep nature has only grown inside and outside our organization. We share this accomplishment with the hundreds of New Brunswickers who continue to support conservation of nature—by donating funds, precious land, or volunteer time in the field, together we are protecting this province’s rich natural heritage, forever.”
Merrill noted that historic public and private investment in nature conservation paired with the incredible community support in recent years has driven the growth of the Nature Trust’s conserved lands network, which now includes 83 nature preserves.
Jean-Claude Gagnon, president of Sentier Pluriel, who along with local partner Ski Beaver work with the Nature Trust to care for the Réserve naturelle Grande-Digue Nature Preserve, spoke to the local stewards’ plans for the preserve. “We are very excited about the expansion of the Grande-Digue preserve and the new hiking trails that will be created for the benefit of current users and future generations,” said Gagnon.
“In 2024, we will add three new trails to the preserve for a total of 1.6 kilometres, two of which will be located on the new expansion. In addition, a new 650-metre section of existing trails will be covered with compacted gravel to make them more accessible to users, including people with reduced mobility.”
Other recently-established preserves which contributed to the Nature Trust’s 13,000-acre milestone include: