Nature Conservancy of Canada protecting another area on P.E.I.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is protecting another pocket of P.E.I.

The new conservation area a 52-hectare (128-acre) piece of land adjacent to Blooming Point beach holds within it Acadian forest, freshwater wetland, salt marsh and dunes.

"I am proud the Nature Conservancy of Canada is helping to ensure Blooming Point always remains a natural, undisturbed gem on P.E.I.'s North Shore," said John Foley, Atlantic vice-president for the NCC in a release.

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The MacGillivray family of Blooming Point donated a portion of the project as part of the Government of Canada's Ecological Gifts Program.

"NCCwould like to thank theMacGillivrayfamily for entrusting this property to us for the enjoyment of the community and the preservation of wildlife habitat," Foley said.

This area is one of 27 P.E.I. properties being conserved under that program the highest number for any province in the country.

Eddy MacGillivray remembers the times he spent on the property.

"As kids, we'd go out there every chance we would get. We'd dig clams on the beach. My mother's family was a large family, so the old farmhouse on Sundays could have up to 50 or 60 people, and my father's family would travel down from wherever they were to come down to enjoy the property,"he said, speaking on behalf of the family.

"It's a beautiful spot. I just hope it stays that way we've always loved that area."

Flora and fauna

The piece of land is also inside "an internationally recognized Important Bird Area," the NCC said in the release.

The coastal and wetland habitat found in the parcel of land is important for a host of birds, including the Canadian warbler, which is a threatened species under Canada's Species at Risk Act.

The area is also home to some plants that are uncommon on the Island such as the royal fern, marsh cinquefoil and spinulose wood fern.

The property's forest and secondary dunes are also a focus of the conservation efforts, as they can provide a "natural stabilizing buffer" for the primary dunes and beach, said the release.

There are no trails, paths or pedestrian access to the beach on the land because of natural barriers including a large wetland.

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