Land Gift Preserves Area of Mattatall Lake
Bonnyman family lore states that a beloved grove of hemlock trees near Mattatall Lake will stand as long as the family’s elders do.
The Bonnymans extended that prophecy by donating 37 hectares of old-growth forest, lake shoreline, and freshwater wetlands to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), securing the land for future generations.
The Bonnyman family has stewarded this forested lakeside property southwest of Tatamagouche for three generations. Their donation ensures that key habitat for a variety of species, including black bear, bald eagle, and forest birds like eastern wood-pewee, will be protected.
The man who donated the land says, “We are thrilled that this very special grove of hemlocks, and a large portion of the Mattatall Lake shoreline will be preserved for future generations thanks to NCC and its partners.” Angus Bonnyman added, “We hope that many will visit the cathedral of hemlocks and experience first-hand the beautiful soft light and the chill you feel when you enter.”
While nearly three-quarters of the property consists of Wabanaki (Acadian) forest, the remainder includes inland water, lakeshore wetland, and treed fen ecosystems around Mattatall Lake. Protecting ecosystems like this one helps incorporate nature-based solutions like water filtration and absorption services, which benefit communities downstream.
The new conservation area, Hemlock Hill at Mattatall Lake, includes 13 hectares of towering eastern hemlock that have withstood over a century of changing seasons and increasingly violent hurricanes. Now they will also be protected from development pressures and have a champion helping them fight invasive species.
The aging trees face an emerging threat. Smaller than a pencil tip, the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) insect is slowly but surely invading eastern hemlock forests in Nova Scotia, inflicting dramatic losses upon ecosystems. With a lack of established natural predators in this area, HWA causes high mortality in hemlock trees, as it feeds on nutrients within the tree’s needles. The Nature Conservancy will closely monitor the stands on the donated site to help protect them.
A portion of this project was donated to the Nature Conservancy of Canada under the Government of Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program. This program provides enhanced tax incentives for individuals or corporations who donate ecologically significant land.
This project showcases how the Conservancy is accelerating the pace of conservation in Canada. In the past two years alone, NCC has influenced the protection of more than one million hectares (almost twice the size of Prince Edward Island), coast to coast to coast.
Over the next few years, the organization will double its impact by mobilising Canadians and delivering permanent, large-scale conservation.
In the face of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change, nature is our ally. There is no solution to either without nature conservation. When nature thrives, we all thrive.
Mattatall Lake is one of the largest lakes in the Cumberland and Colchester County area. The surrounding watershed and nutrient-rich wetlands include several streams and bogs, which serve as an important breeding ground for a host of waterfowl including American black duck, mallard, common loon, gadwall, and common merganser.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is the country’s unifying force for nature. NCC seeks solutions to the twin crises of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change through large-scale, permanent land conservation. Since 1962, NCC has brought Canadians together to conserve and restore more than 15 million hectares.
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