Overview
The MacNichol-Orser Conservation Easement is 930 hectares (2,313 acres) of forest and wetlands along the St. Croix River in Charlotte County and was donated to the Nature Trust by the Orser family of Ohio, to limit development of the preserve to protecting its ecological integrity, in particular its waterways and rare plant habitats. The Peskotomuhkati First Nation are the current owners of the land.
History
In December 2006, the Nature Trust officially received one of the largest ecological gifts of its kind in Canada. Mrs. Carol Orser, who inherited the land from her father, George P. MacNichol, said that her family has used, loved, and cared for the land for five generations and thought that establishing a conservation easement on the land would be a fitting way of protecting the river and the land.
The MacNichol-Orser Conservation Easement includes one and a half lakes, 3.5 kilometres of trails and 3.6 kilometres of St. Croix River frontage. King Brook, and a meandering stream that winds through peat land for several kilometers before entering the St. Croix River.
Ecology
The preserve hosts 338 vascular plant species and 118 bryophytes, as well as a number of significant and diverse habitats representing the unique floral assemblage of Charlotte County.
The preserve hosts 28 provincially rare plants, four rare bryophytes, three rare insects and one rare fish. Significant habitats include a flood-plain zone along the St. Croix River, King Brook Lake and its surrounding peatland / swamp, and two tolerant hardwood stands.
Access and Activities
This preserve is private and cannot be accessed without permission.