Nature Trust offers outdoor excursions
SYDNEY — The Nova Scotia Nature Trust will offer the chance to connect with the outdoors, from guided hikes and kayak trips to stewardship excursions and property celebrations.
The Connecting with Nature event series will feature eight hands-on educational experiences exploring lands protected by the Nature Trust across the province, including an event in Mabou.
“These events are a great way to get outdoors, experience these precious natural places, discover why they are so special and learn about how we protect them,” David Hodd, stewardship manager for the Nature Trust, said in a news release.
The recent Lasting Landscapes Campaign saw 17 new properties protected by the Nature Trust in early 2019. A number of the project areas will be featured, starting with a guided hike on the St. Mary’s River coming up on May 25th. Later, on July 27th, a guided hike in the Mabou Highlands and celebration in the town of Mabou, Cape Breton will mark the protection of over 2000 acres of coastal cliffs, forested ravines and breathtaking hiking trails. One of our most popular events, the 100 Wild Islands Hike and Paddle will take place on July 20th, offering participants a chance to kayak around the rugged Eastern Shore coastline and visit the white sand double crescent beach of the Shelter Cove Wilderness Sanctuary.
This year the Nature Trust and partners at Acadia University are offering an overnight stewardship excursion to Bon Portage Island over the weekend of June 7-9. Once home to lighthouse keepers Evelyn and Morrill Richardson, the island was donated to Acadia University in 1964 for island conservation and the study of natural history, ecology and wildlife management. In 2012, the university signed a conservation easement with the Nature Trust to ensure the protection of the island and its bird populations.
A three-kilometre journey by boat will bring participants to the island, where they will help with stewardship activities like trail maintenance that supports access needed for research and monitoring of the island’s seabird colonies. Bon Portage Island is home to over 50 species of breeding birds, including the largest breeding colony of Leach’s storm-petrel south of Newfoundland. There is a limited number of spaces available.
Connecting with Nature events are open to everyone, but registration is limited. For the full event schedule, updates and registration information, visit nsnt.ca/events.