NCC completes largest private land conservation project in New Brunswick’s history
Mike Dembeck
In the largest-ever private land conservation project in New Brunswick, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) announced the conservation of 2,106 acres (852 hectares) of forested land, including vital Atlantic salmon habitat on the Bartholomew River, a tributary of the Miramichi River.
With Atlantic salmon in decline, and the Miramichi watershed believed to produce more wild salmon than any other river in North America, the establishment of this property is a significant conservation milestone for NCC and New Brunswick.
The property includes increasingly rare old Acadian forest, five kilometres of treed shoreline along the Bartholomew River and deep, cold water pools that are integral to the health of salmon as they move upstream to spawn.
The property will be called the Foxner Nature Reserve, based on a contraction of the former property owners’ names: Brian and Carolyn Fox, and Carl and Ann Faulkner. The two couples made the land donation under the Government of Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program, which provides tax incentives for individuals who donate ecologically significant land.
The conservation project received widespread support from New Brunswickers, including a significant financial donation from former New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna in honour of his friend Bob Kenny, a salmon conservation advocate.
This conservation project was also supported by funding from the Government of Canada through the Natural Areas Conservation Program. Funding was also provided by the Regional Development Corporation, NB Environmental Trust Fund, TransCanada Corporation, New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund, Echo Foundation, Mountain Equipment Co-op and many local residents.