Nature Conservancy protects vital salmon habitat with New Brunswick reserve

A large swath of land that contains vital habitat for wild Atlantic salmon is being protected in New Brunswick.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada is creating a reserve with 853 hectares of land, making it the largest private land conservation project in the province.

The area around Miramichi includes the Bartholomew River – a tributary of the Miramichi River – and rare old Acadian forest, five kilometres of treed shoreline and deep pools used by salmon as they move upstream to spawn.

The property will be called the Foxner Nature Reserve after the former property owners.

The $1.3 million conservation project received funding from former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna, the federal government and the province, among others.

The reserve is next to another protected area, creating a continuous wilderness and wildlife corridor of more than 4,000 hectares.