Two forested sites on P.E.I.'s Percival River have been purchased by the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
The two sites, located about 40 kilometres west of Summerside, P.E.I., total 130 hectares or 323 acres.
Marsh marigold, a delicate spring flower that flourishes wherever there is water-logged soil and sunlight, is a plant on the property. (Mike Dembeck/Nature Conservancy of Canada)
"The Percival River area provides people with a view rarely seen on Prince Edward Island: forest all around you," said Julie Vasseur, P.E.I. Program Director with the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
"It is one of the best examples of natural connectivity remaining in the province, with a network of habitat corridors reaching all the way to Conway Narrows,"
The Percival River feeds into Egmont Bay and the Northumberland Strait and is a strategic area for conservation, the national conservation group said.
The protected sites include salt marshes, which provide habitat for wildlife. (Mike Dembeck/Nature Conservancy of Canada)
By protecting the lands from development, the area will continue to be a refuge for migratory birds, and ultimately contribute to the sustainability of waterfowl populations in P.E.I. and along the Atlantic Flyway, the conservancy said.
The sites feature forests with red maple, black spruce, white birch, white cedar, white ash, aspen and balsam fir trees. The lands include salt marshes, which provide habitat for wildlife, and also provide buffers against storm surges and act as a natural water filter, Vasseur added.
The sites feature intact forests with red maple, black spruce, white birch, white cedar, white ash, aspen and balsam fir trees. (Mike Dembeck/Nature Conservancy of Canada)
Both sites are home to beavers and many species of birds including black ducks, Canada gees and great blue herons, as well as shrubs, ferns and wildflowers.
One of the two sites will now be part of a larger protected complex. It's next to an existing 28-hectare reserve and a 42-hectare provincially-owned property protected by the Natural Areas Conservation Act.
The Percival River feeds into Egmont Bay and the Northumberland Strait. (Mike Dembeck/Nature Conservancy of Canada)
The purchase of the properties was supported through local donors, federal government programs, TD Forests, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the Joan and Regis Duffy Foundation.
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