Heron, merganser, kingfisher nesting area protected by coastal forest purchase

The Nature Conservancy of Canada has added to a preserve in western P.E.I. with the purchase of 10 hectares of coastal forest adjacent to a salt marsh near Abram-Village.

The marsh serves as a nesting site for great blue heron, red-breasted merganser, belted kingfisher and common goldeneye, and preserving the adjacent forest will help to protect it.

"Salt marsh is not a common phenomenon on P.E.I., even though we have, you know, thousands of kilometers of coastline, salt marsh is a rare phenomenon," said Lanna Campbell, P.E.I. program director with the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

"It's really important that we protect it. Salt marshes are really workhorses in terms of their productivity for wildlife and and and just provide amazing habitat."

Salt marshes also protect surrounding lands during storms, acting like a sponge to soak up storm surges and absorb the destructive energy of pounding surf.

The coastal forest is along Route 11 in Maximeville, and part of what is now 99 hectares of preserved land owned by NCC, known as the Abram-Village Nature Reserve.

The purchase was made with the assistance of the federal government.

The preserve is available for all Islanders to enjoy, said Campbell. Anyone interested in visiting can call the NCC office on P.E.I. for directions on how to access it, said Campbell.

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