The Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry is inviting public comment on its proposal to designate a 57-hectare (140-acre) area of public land in Tracadie Cross under the Natural Areas Protection Act.
The Act protects various types of natural habitats from development. The Tracadie Cross site includes about 25 hectares (nearly 63 acres) of bog, which provides habitat for a variety of species including the provincially-rare white fringed orchid. The remainder of the area is forested with a mixture of spruce, poplar, birch, fir and maple, as well as scattered older specimens of white pine and red oak. The locally-uncommon royal fern can also be found on the site.
Minister of Environment, Energy and Forestry Minister Jamie Ballem said the Tracadie Cross property is an excellent example of a bog and its associated wildlife. In addition to the rare plants, the area is home to a variety of wetland and forest birds, beaver, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians. As well, bald eagles can be seen flying over the area.
“Designating these lands under the Natural Areas Protection Act will see that generations of Islanders enjoy this natural habitat and the wide variety of wildlife that it supports,” added Minister Ballem.
Mildred Dover, Education Minister and Tracadie-Fort Augustus MLA, said a local community group, the Tracadie Area Residents for Resource Protection, has been working to see the Tracadie Cross site become a protected natural area. Area residents recognize the contribution the land makes to local wildlife and to the protection of water quality – serving as a natural filter that traps and breaks down contaminants such as chemicals, organic waste and sediment. If the land is designated, Minister Dover said the community group has asked that it be known as the Eagles Landing Tracadie Cross Bog Natural Area.
Recent amendments to the Natural Areas Protection Act provide an opportunity for public review and comment before provincially-owned land is protected. This is the first designation proposed under the new legislation. As part of the review process, a public meeting will be held at the Tracadie Community Centre, 148 Station Road, on Thursday, June 15 from 7 - 9 p.m. Comments may also be provided in writing via e-mail to naturalareas@gov.pe.ca or to the Chair of the Natural Areas Protection Act Technical Advisory Committee, Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry, PO Box 2000, Charlottetown, PEI, C1A 7N8. All comments must be received by June 26.
Copies of the draft designation document, including details of the managing activities and the property map, are available from the 4th floor of the Jones Building, 11 Kent Street in Charlottetown, or online at www.gov.pe.ca/go/NAPAconsultations.
If the designation is approved, the Tracadie Cross site would contribute to the goal of protecting seven per cent of Prince Edward Island’s total land mass. Currently, about 15,900 hectares (more than 39,000 acres) of land is protected. That includes natural areas, the Prince Edward Island National Park, some provincial park land, and Wildlife Management Areas. Of the total, about 8,750 hectares (21,600 acres) of lands are designated as natural areas under the Natural Areas Protection Act. Some lands are publicly-owned or held for the people of Prince Edward Island by the non-governmental Island Nature Trust. These are open for compatible uses such as hiking, fishing, hunting, trapping, bird-watching and nature exploration. Other natural areas are privately held by landowners who understand the ecological importance of their lands and voluntarily agree to protection.