AMHERST - A large piece of coastal property near Apple River has been purchased by the province for possible inclusion in a wilderness area in Cumberland County.
"We are absolutely thrilled with this announcement because it includes features that are not available in any other part of Nova Scotia, such as a raised salt marsh near the point," Blake Daley of Cumberland Wilderness said upon hearing of the decision to purchase 3,929 hectares of land from Wagner Forest Nova Scotia Ltd.
"It's a beautiful piece of property that needs to be protected. It wasn't part of our strategy but we were aware that discussions were taking place."
Daley's group is propsing the creation of a wilderness area for lands in and around the Chignecto Game Sanctuary. The province is in consultations that could lead to the creation of such an area, though there's opposition from some private landowners as well as recreational users of trails within the sanctuary.
The land purchase includes 22 kilometres of continuous coastline on the Bay of Fundy from Apple River to Sand River. The province is also buying a 384-hectare parcel of land near the Eigg Mountain-James River Wilderness Area in Antigonish County and a 95-hectare parcel of old growth forest near Panuke Lake in Halifax County.
"This purchase is a unique opportunity for the province," Natural Resources Minister John MacDonell said in making the announcement.
"Coastal property is generally the most highly sought after and expensive land. This is a smart investment that will benefit the environment and provide tourism and recreational opportunities."
Most of the $9-million purchase has been acquired to help the province reach its conservation goals. The province is committed to protecting 12 per cent of its land mass by 2015. Currently, only 8.6 per cent is protected. Detailed protection decisions will be made over the next few years.
Raymond Plourde, wilderness co-ordinator for the Ecology Action Centre, is thrilled with the lastest acquistion.
"We are especially pleased to see the large coastal area along the Bay of Fundy included," said Plourde.
"This province owns only about five per cent of Nova Scotia's coastline, so acquisitions like this are rare and very important from a social, ecological and a tourism perspective."
Under the plan, and to keep the sale within the province's budget, Wagner will be allowed to harvest about one-quarter of the Apple Head area over the next two years. A 200-metre buffer zone has been established along the coastline and in ravines, where the harvest will be limited or excluded.
Special wildlife areas will also be protected from harvest.
This sale comes a few weeks after 3,600 hectares of land, in 21 parcels, was purchased from the J.D. Irving Forestry Company Ltd., including land along the Bay of Fundy and within the Isthmus of Chignecto.
dcole@amherstdaily.com
