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Cameron estate deeds forest area to municipality

- by ASHLEIGH McKENNA

The wood turtles in Guysborough Country can rest a little easier today 36 hectares of their natural habitat were officially gifted to a provincial conservation group on Saturday.

The Nova Scotia Nature Trust launched a five-year campaign to preserve the St. Marys River in May and Saturday’s gift marks the first major step toward their goal, a group co-ordinator said.

"We’ve been very fortunate," Duncan Bayne said Saturday morning on his way to the river near Sherbrooke.

"St. Marys River really is an ecological gem in our province. It’s very valued by the local people.

"They fish there. They take their canoes down the river. They really enjoy it and we hope to work with them so that the future generations their children, their children’s children can actually continue to enjoy the wonderful wildlife gem that the St. Marys River actually is."

The donated land belonged to the late Sandy Cameron, a prominent Guysborough County MLA and former Nova Scotia Liberal leader. "This is land that was in the Cameron family ownership that they wanted to see protected forever and maintained in an undeveloped condition," Mr. Bayne said.

"We were contacted by Mr. Cameron and it was just a wonderful day when I spoke to him and he said that he would like to set these areas aside for wildlife," he said.

"Mr. Cameron made it very clear from the outset that he wanted to give these areas back to the wildlife."

The two parcels of donated land include rare old-growth hemlock and floodplain forests, he said. The trust will take hold of the land in perpetuity in order to maintain its natural state and ensure wildlife in the region continues to flourish.

Donald Dunbar, the Sherbrooke and area councillor for the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s, said he was very pleased with the preservation efforts taking place.

"I think it was very generous of the Cameron estate to donate that land for that purpose and it’s a very worthwhile cause and we certainly appreciate their generosity," he said.

"The river is very special; salmon has been in the St. Marys River for a number of years and I’d like to see it preserved for anglers in the future.

"It’s nice to see it preserved for future generations"

Mr. Bayne said that eventually the trust would like the majority of the surrounding privately-owned land to be committed to keeping the area undeveloped.

"I think generally Nova Scotians are exceptionally aware of our natural resources. I think Nova Scotians love being in Nova Scotia and one of the reasons we do is because we really value the landscape and the ecology we have round about," he said.

"Where else in Canada are you so surrounded by water with such a beautiful coastline and such lovely rivers running down to the sea?"

(amckenna@herald.ca)