Nature Conservancy seeks $30K to protect 2 P.E.I. areas

A land conservation group is fundraising for $30,000 to buy two pieces of property on Prince Edward Island. 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada protects important pieces of nature from development so they'll be around forever. 

One is about three hectares in Howe Bay in eastern Kings County, and is a forested area close to other nature reserves of mature Acadian forest that are already protected by the NCC and the province.

"We have an immediate opportunity to sort of, like, fill in the puzzle piece, so the piece in the middle of our nature reserve — an additional property that's up for sale we're able to purchase. It's a little over eight acres and it'll help round out that existing protected area," said Lanna Campbell, the conservancy's program director for P.E.I.

The area includes some "really big, impressive trees," including large aspens, she said. 

The second is in North Enmore in western P.E.I. Mossy Point is on the South Shore at the mouth of the Percival River. The parcel is 30 hectares (or 75 acres) and is close to the conservancy's largest current nature reserve of more than 260 hectares (650 acres).

'Bigger the better'

The provincial government and Island Nature Trust also protect land in this area, Campbell said. 

"The bigger the better when it comes to creating larger areas for wildlife," she said. 

"It's a really beautiful area, magnificent saltmarsh, just really spectacular wetland habitat," she added, where many interesting species including black ash and eastern white cedar trees and Nelson's sparrow, a coastal breeding bird, can be found. 

Half of the land was donated but the rest must be purchased. 

The conservancy fundraises enough so that it can care for and manage the land well into the future, Campbell said. 

The holidays are a perfect time to fundraise for such a cause, she said.

"This could be a way to make sure that some of your charitable dollars that are given back to nature," she said, noting people, groups or corporations can give any amount.

The Nature Conservancy has been working on P.E.I. since 1978 and has helped protect close to 2,400 hectares of ecologically-significant land. It owns and cares for 10 nature reserves on P.E.I. which are all open to the public, according to its website. 

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