P.E.I. family donates large chunk of rare land to Nature Conservancy of Canada

An Island family has donated 91 hectares of rare wetland and hardwood forest to the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

The donation of land in Kingsboro, near Souris, P.E.I. was given by Camilla MacPhee and family in memory of her late husband, Melvin MacPhee.

"We are thrilled to be conserving this special forest and bog habitatone that is rare on P.E.I. and we are very grateful to the MacPhee family for this incredibly generous donation," said Lanna Campbell, P.E.I. program director for NCC.

The Mel and Camilla MacPhee Nature Reserve features a large undisturbed peat bog surrounded by a forest of red maple, sugar maple and yellow birch which is a combination of native hardwoods that is no longer common on the Island, the release said.

"Our family is very pleased to have donated this beautiful forest and wetland to the Nature Conservancy of Canada," said MacPhee in the release.

Protecting threatened species

The area provides habitat for Canada warblers, a threatened songbird, and the eastern wood pewee, a bird species of special concern.

"It gives me great peace of mind to know that the Melvin and Camilla MacPhee Nature Reserve will always be a safe haven for wildlife and a natural treasure for the community Mel loved and I love," MacPhee said.

The new nature reserve is valuable for conservation because it is located about halfway between East Baltic Bog and Basin Head Marine Protected Area and expands eastern P.E.I.'s network of protected areas, the release said.

"This land donation will not only help to improve our environment, it will help make Prince Edward Island an even greater place to call home for all Islanders," said P.E.I. MP Lawrence MacAulay in the release.

The project was completed with the financial support from the federal government through the Quick Start Program.

Projects through this program aim to advance Canada's international commitment to conserving at least 17 per cent of the country's inland water and 10 per cent ofmarine and coastal areas by 2020.

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