Conservation groups have been working hard lately to give people virtual access to important ecological areas of the Maritime, but if that makes you want to go in person this summer, you need to take special precautions, according to two people who make a living promoting outdoor adventures.
“These are not the places we want to start making woods,” said Jan-Sebastian LaPierre, of Dartmouth-based marketing company A For Adventure.
You probably shouldn’t go with a large group, LaPierre said, and you should try to “exercise the lightest touch possible”.
The public can visit many ecologically sensitive areas, he said, if there is adequate infrastructure, such as boardwalks and trails.
Using existing trails helps preserve fragile ecosystems, Jan LaPierre said. (Holly Melanson / Facebook)
LaPierre business partner Chris Surette said he has recently noticed a trend of conservation groups creating interactive maps and videos to try to get people to know and love wetlands and rare habitats.
The Nature Trust of New Brunswick has made many maps, he said.
A “great” example is the Meduxnekeag Valley Nature Reserve.
This view of the river was taken from the orange road to the nature reserve, by Holly Melanson, of the Meduxnekeag River Association. (Meduxnekeag Valley Nature Reserve / Facebook)
The Meduxnekeag is a tributary of the St. John, he noted, and the reserve includes more than 1,000 acres of Appalachian hardwood forest.
More than 180 species of trees, plants, lichens and mosses live there, according to Nature Trust, including 43 rare and many species that are found nowhere else in Atlantic Canada.
Wild coffee is one of the rare plants that grows in the Meduxnekeag Valley Nature Reserve, according to the group’s website, as well as black raspberry, wild ginger, maiden fern and showy orchids. (Holly Melanson / Facebook) Cicada are one of the species that live in the Meduxnekeag River. (Holly Melanson / Facebook)
“These forests have been nearly eradicated from their natural distribution in Carleton and Victoria counties,” the group’s website says.
Thanks to trails and light infrastructure, more than 3,000 students a year can visit the reservation, he said. They have fun identifying plants using the iNaturalist or geocaching app and also learn something in the process.
Ultimately, it’s about teaching them about nature, Surette said, and creating a culture to understand the importance of conservation.
Thousands of schoolchildren visit the Meduxnekeag reserve each year for guided tours, said Chris Surette of A For Adventure. (Holly Melanson / Facebook)
The St. Nova Scotia’s Mary’s has just also started an online mapping project, LaPierre said.
The Canadian Heritage River is known for salmon fishing, he said, but it is home to many other species and has beautiful “undulating hills” along its banks.
A new mapping project shows many ways to access the St. Mary’s in Nova Scotia, LaPierre said, but it is also an important habitat for endangered species such as Atlantic salmon. (Submitted by Chris Surette)
It has taken decades to shore up some of the properties, he said, on a mix of private and public land, but now there are plenty of access points for those who want to travel by boat, bike or on foot.
“They’ve done a remarkable job,” LaPierre said, “to do something we hope will last for generations and generations.”
Surette and LaPierre have personally been involved in a couple of other mapping projects, in collaboration with the Canadian Wildlife Service.
Surette, left, and LaPierre explore the Minas Basin ground at Five Islands Provincial Park in Nova Scotia. (Submitted by Chris Surette)
One includes Big Glace Bay Beach, which is surrounded by the community of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia.
It’s a “very, very important” nesting space for carnivores, LaPierre said, as well as a lot of other coastal birds that pass by.
All ecosystems are fragile, LaPierre said, including those closest to us.
“It’s easy to get excited about waterfalls and lush valleys,” he said, “while the ones we visit most often probably need our help.”
Another mapping project they worked on looks at Shepody Hills south of Moncton, off the coast of Fundy.
They created the previous video in collaboration with naturalist, poet and author Harry Thurston.
Shepody Hills had a lot of human room for a long time, LaPierre said, and has now returned to a more natural state.
Another important natural area is next to the Kentville community, Surette said, in Nova Scotia’s fertile Annapolis Valley.
Ducks Unlimited is piloting an interactive Miner’s Marsh map project there.
It used to be farmland, Surette said, but it was wet “all the time.” The Miner family reached an agreement to transfer the land and have it restored to its natural state and protected.
It opened as a nature reserve in 2010, Surette said, and is “absolutely thriving.”
Miner’s Marsh in the Kentville, NS area is thriving, Surette said, since it moved from farmland to a nature reserve in 2010. (Posted by Chris Surette)
Hundreds of people visit daily, he said, using their walking and cycling routes.
As you move away from the interactive map of Ducks Unlimited, you can see how much water it contains, right next to the city.
The most sensitive areas are “usually the less sexy ones,” Surette said.
Peat wetlands and salt marshes “do not receive much esteem,” he said.
You see “mosquito-mounted” places that are “swampy and a little smelly.”
But they are “unrecognized heroes” of the natural world.
From above it’s obvious how much water Miner Marsh retains from the Kentville community, Surette said. (Submitted by Chris Surette)
They prevent flooding, retain and purify water, are “really great” at capturing carbon, and provide “amazing infrastructure” for plants and animals.
“We’re trying to keep these systems intact,” LaPierre said.
“The principles of leaving no trace are absolutely important here.”