Important habitat secured for Grand Manan’s birds
Nick Hawkins
Visited by ornithologist John James Audubon in the 1830s, New Brunswick’s Grand Manan has long been recognized as a critical breeding, wintering and migratory stopover site for a wide range of birds, including razorbill, common murre, American black duck, sanderling, purple sandpiper, bufflehead, Canada geese, ring-necked duck, northern pintail, American wigeon, common eider and North American brant.
Thanks to the generosity of two New Brunswick families who entrusted their land to NCC, 319 acres (129 hectares) of valuable habitat on the southeast coast of Grand Manan has been protected. Arlene Small donated land in memory of her parents, Hartford and Bessie Ingalls, and Earl Brewer and Sandy Kitchen made a partial donation in memory of Wayne B. Kitchen.
This NCC nature reserve is located inside a designated migratory bird sanctuary; however, this designation did not protect the habitat from development, making this area a high priority for conservation.
NCC’s Grand Manan Migratory Bird Sanctuary Nature Reserve includes mature coastal forest, a large freshwater pond and a 500-metre coastline with a sand and gravel beach. It is accessible to the public and is just a short walk from the Anchorage Provincial Park in Grand Harbour.
The conservation of these properties was made possible with the support of funding from the Government of Canada, through the Natural Areas Conservation Program. The project also includes a land donation made through the Government of Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program, which provides enhanced tax incentives for individuals or corporations donating ecologically significant land. The New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act), Crabtree Foundation, Sir James Dunn Foundation, McCain Foundation and many private donors also contributed to the success of this conservation project.