Conservation groups have been doing a lot of work lately to give people virtual access to important ecological areas on the Sea Coast, but if it made you itch to go in person this summer, there are special precautions you need to take, according to two people. who make a life that encourages outdoor adventures.
“These are not the places we want to start rolling,” said Jan-Sebastian Lapierre of the Dartmouth-based marketing company A For Adventure.
You probably shouldn’t go with a large group, LaPierre said, and you should try to “practice the lightest possible touch.”
The public can visit many environmentally sensitive areas, he said, if there is appropriate infrastructure, such as promenades and paths.
Using existing trails helps preserve fragile ecosystems, said Jan LaPierre. (Holly Melanson / Facebook)
LaPierre business partner Chris Surrett said he had noticed a recent trend for conservation groups to create interactive maps and videos to try to get people to know and love wetlands and rare habitats.
The New Brunswick Natural Trust has done a lot of mapping, he said.
One “cool” example is the Meduxnekeag Valley Nature Reserve.
This view of the river is taken from the orange trail in the nature reserve by Holly Melanson of the Meduxnekeag River Association. (Meduxnekeag Valley Nature Reserve / Facebook)
Meduxnekeag is a tributary of the St. John River, he noted, and the reserve includes more than 1,000 acres of rare Appalachian hardwood forests.
More than 180 species of trees, plants, lichens and mosses live there, according to the Nature Trust – including 43 rare species and many of them are not found anywhere 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 raspberries, wild ginger, lily of the valley fern and spectacular orchids. (Holly Melanson / Facebook) Crabs are one of the species that live in the Meduxnekeag River. (Holly Melanson / Facebook)
“These forests are almost uprooted from their natural habitat in Carlton and Victoria counties,” the group’s website said.
Thanks to the trails and light infrastructure, more than 3,000 students a year can visit the reserve, he said. They have fun identifying plants using the iNaturalist or geocaching app and also learn something in the process.
Ultimately, it teaches them nature, Suret said, and creates a culture of understanding the importance of conservation.
Thousands of students visit the Meduxnekeag Reserve each year for guided tours, said Chris Suret of A For Adventure. (Holly Melanson / Facebook)
The St. Mary’s River Association in Nova Scotia has just launched an online map project, LaPierre said.
The Canadian Heritage River is well known for salmon fishing, he said, but is home to many other species and has beautiful “hills” along its banks.
A new mapping project shows many ways to access the St. Mary’s River in Nova Scotia, LaPierre said, but it is also an important habitat for endangered species such as Atlantic salmon. (Submitted by Chris Surette)
It took decades to fortify some of the property, he said, on a mix of private and public land, but there are now many access points for those who want to travel by boat, bike or on foot.
“They did a remarkable job,” LaPierre said, “to do something we hope will last for generations and generations.”
Surette and LaPierre have personally participated in several other mapping projects, in collaboration with the Canadian Wildlife Service.
Surette, left, and LaPierre explore the floor of the Minas Basin in Nova Scotia’s Provincial Park. (Submitted by Chris Surette)
One of them includes Big Glace Bay Beach, which is surrounded by the Glace Bay community, Nova Scotia.
These are “very, very important” places for swans to nest, LaPierre said, as well as many other coastal birds that pass through them.
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 those we visit more often probably need our help the most.”
Another of the cartographic projects they worked on looked at Shepody Hills south of Moncton on the banks of the Fundy.
They created the above video in collaboration with naturalist, poet and author Harry Thurston.
Shepoddy Hills has had many human dwellings for a long time, LaPierre said, and is now back in a more natural state.
Another important natural area is nestled next to the Cantville community, Suret said, in the fertile Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia.
Ducks Unlimited is piloting an interactive map project there on Miner’s Marsh.
It used to be agricultural land, Suret said, but it was wet “all the time.” The Miner family worked out a deal to transfer the land and restore it to its natural state and protection.
It opened as a nature reserve in 2010, Suret said, and is “absolutely thriving.”
Miner’s Marsh in the Kentville, NS area is thriving, Surette said after moving from farmland to a nature reserve in 2010 (Submitted by Chris Surette)
Hundreds of people visit every day, he said, using his hiking and biking trails.
When you zoom out on the Ducks Unlimited interactive map, you can see how much water it contains, right next to the city.
The most sensitive areas are “usually non-sexual,” Suret said.
Peat wetlands and salt marshes “don’t get much love,” he said.
They are seen as “mosquito-infested” places that are “swampy and somehow smelly.”
But they are “unsung heroes” of the natural world.
From above, it’s obvious how much water Miner’s Marsh retains from the Cantville community, Surret said. (Submitted by Chris Surette)
They prevent floods, retain and purify water, are “really great” at capturing carbon, and provide “amazing infrastructure” for plants and animals.
“We are trying to keep these systems intact,” LaPierre said.
“The principles of not leaving traces are absolutely important here.”
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