Meredith Houseworth Memorial Seashore/Whale Cove (Preserve & Easement)

Ron and Rosemary Clanton first contacted the Nature Trust about conserving their property on Grand Manan in 2000. Motivated by what they had seen happening to shoreline in their home state of Maryland, the couple wanted their serene place to maintain its tranquility for the benefit of Islanders and visitors from away. A total of 18 acres were donated to the Nature Trust, including Whale Cove Pond, cobbled beach, forest, and a wetland that is home to great blue herons, spotted sandpipers, soras, and other wading birds. The area is a popular stopover for migrating songbirds, and unusual seabirds have been observed from the seashore such as Manx shearwaters, red-necked phalaropes, roseate terns, and dovekies. A conservation easement was also placed on 2.5 acres of adjoining lands protecting them from development and subdivision. The name “Meredith Houseworth Memorial Seashore” was chosen for the preserve in memory of the Clanton’s niece, who tragically passed away at age twenty in a car accident.

A wonderful coastal footpath links the Meredith Houseworth Memorial Seashore to another Nature Trust preserve on Grand Manan: the Thomas B. Munroe Memorial Shoreline. The trail starts at the Whistle lighthouse, winds through the Thomas B. Munro Memorial Shoreline, and continues southeast along Seven Days’ Work cliff to Whale Cove where it meets the Meredith Houseworth Memorial Seashore. From there, the Grand Manan Trail snakes north again towards the Hole-in-the-Wall sea arch and on to the famous Swallowtail Lighthouse.

The public is welcome to visit the pond and beach for bird-watching and other passive recreation; however the house and its immediate surroundings remain private. Visitors are asked to refrain from driving on the beach or down Cemetery Lane. The property is best accessed on foot either by the coastal trail or via Cemetery Lane behind the old Anglican Church off Rte 776 (parking at the church if space permits).