Nashwaak Watershed Association – The Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc. has protected a property in Marysville, New Brunswick named the Maysville Flats. The Association, in partnership with the City of Fredericton, has been working since 2011 on the restoration and preservation of a beautiful and valuable landscape known as the silver maple wetland forest.
The Marysville Flats Conservation Easement is the first conservation easement in New Brunswick held by a municipality, and it is the second in the maritime provinces. The only other conservation easement signed by a municipality is in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
The Marysville Flats Conservation easement consists of 23 acres of important floodplain habitat that includes provincially significant wetlands. The conservation easement was created by the landowners, the City of Fredericton, to be held by the Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc. in perpetuity to ensure the protection of the property’s conservation values. This ecologically significant area provides habitat to species at risk such as bald eagle, bank swallow and butternut. It also mitigates the negative impacts of climate change by preventing flooding and buffering the effects of drought.
“I’m proud to be a leader in the long-term protection of this property. It is a great opportunity to celebrate the first municipal property designated as a conservation easement in New Brunswick, located in the Nashwaak Watershed.” said Marieka Chaplin, NWAI Executive Director. The Nashwaak Watershed Association was established in 1995 as a not-for-profit organization. The organization restores land that can protect river water quality and engages people on the use of its importance. Since 2015 the Association has worked to establish a conservation easement at Marysville Flats. Establishing the conservation easement has been possible thanks to the financial support of WWF-Canada, NB Environmental Trust Fund, Lush Cosmetics, NB Wildlife Trust Fund, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Tree Canada, Wildlife Habitat Canada. Thanks to all community volunteers who have volunteered to plant trees over the last 10 years.
For more information, be sure to check out this article from CBC: Large swath of wetland on Fredericton’s north side is now permanently protected
