Grand Manan Landmark Protected

Those familiar with Grand Manan will know that the north end of the Island, like other parts, is home to a wonderful footpath. It winds from the Whistle light, southeast along Seven Days’ Work Cliff to a place called Whale Cove. Approaching the beach on this trail, you see before you a cobble beach and just beyond, a saltbox cottage perfectly at home in its hillside retreat.
Clanton cottage as seen from opposing side of Whale Cove Pond. To the right of the cottage is Whale Cove Pond (not visible) Photo: Eddie Powell

Take a look at the marvels of surf-worn granite. beneath your feet, piled high by relentless waves and tides. You have reached the Meredith Houseworth Memorial Seashore, the most recent conservation gift by private landowners to the Nature Trust of New Brunswick, a provincial land trust. From here, the Grand Manan Trail snakes north again towards the Hole-in-the-Wall sea arch and on to the famous Swallowtail Light.

This is a special place. Landowners Ron and Rosemary Clanton first contacted the Nature Trust about it in 2000; they were interested in conserving the 22 acre Whale Cove pond and adjoining six acres of land around their cottage. Motivated by what they had seen happening to shoreline in their home state of Maryland, the couple wanted their serene place by the sea on Grand Manan to maintain its tranquility for the benefit of the Islanders and visitors from away. The Trust embarked on helping them fulfil this dream. At times in the eight intervening years the dream must have seemed to the Clantons more like a nightmare.

Being US citizens did not help. At first it seemed like capital gains taxes would sink the combined donation/conservation easement the pair sought. But in the end, it was their determination to see the deal through, paired with some very pointed letters from the Nature Trust and others to the Finance Minister that ultimately led to the threatened tax burden being lifted by the Canadian government.

Now, thanks to landowners like the Clantons and the Orsers (donors of the King Brook Lake 2,313 acre easement on the St. Croix River, November 2006) the tax rules have changed substantially. As long as proper paperwork is submitted, US donors of Canadian eco-sensitive lands avoid any and all payment of capital gains tax on gifts to Canadian land trusts.

Rosemary, now seventy-five, reflects on their years on the Island. “This place was very much Ron. His mother, a Graham, was from Grand Manan” she says, “and we rented this cottage as a young couple. When we had a chance to buy it from Reverend Gardner, we jumped at it.” Over forty years later, family members (Ron is now deceased) still spend summers at the cottage, and Ron’s cousin’s son looks after things in the off-season.

“I especially loved seeing the birders come to the pond and beach during the summer and early fall,” Rosemary says. Indeed this is an area rich in birds; Great blue herons, Rails and other wading birds frequent the pond’s waters and emergent shrubs. Whale Cove is part of a designated environmentally significant area and is just 4 km south of the Thomas B. Munro Memorial Shoreline, another Nature Trust preserve. Islander Peter Cronk monitors this property on a volunteer basis for the organization.
Ron and Rosemary Clanton on the deck of their cottage that has been protected with a conservation easement donated to the Nature Trust of New Brunswick. Photo: M. Sheppard

The name “Meredith Houseworth Memorial Seashore” was chosen for Rosemary’s niece from New Jersey, a beautiful girl who craved the solitude of Grand Manan Island. Tragically she died in a car crash at age twenty. Meredith’s mother now wonders about placing a memorial stone somewhere on the windswept coast in her honour.

Rosemary Clanton, a reader of the local newspaper, has been noticing the press on the potential sale of the Swallowtail Lighthouse-keeper’s house and surrounding land. “I applaud the people attempting to block the sale of that property to keep it pristine and beautifully welcoming to the Island.” she says.

This generous gift brings the length of Grand Manan trail now protected in perpetuity by the Nature Trust to 2.5 km. The Trust acknowledges gratefully the work of the Grand Manan Trails Committee in keeping these and other Island footpaths passable for all to enjoy.

The public is welcome to visit the pond and beach for birdwatching and other passive recreation, but the house and its immediate surroundings remain private and people are asked to respect this. The property is best accessed on foot either by the coastal trail or via the tiny Cemetery Lane leading off Rte 776 at the Anglican Church on the rise, parking at the church if space permits. Visitors are asked to refrain from driving on the beach.

The Nature Trust of New Brunswick is a non-profit land trust that maintains twenty-eight nature preserves around the province, including twelve in coastal Charlotte County. It is currently mounting a campaign to preserve lands in the St. Andrews area: Navy Island and Birch Cove. Anyone wishing more information or to contribute to the campaign, please contact the Trust at (506) 457-2398 or ntnb@nbnet.nb.ca.

Contact:

Margo Sheppard, Coordinator
Campaign for Coastal Lands
(506) 457-2398
(506) 450-2137 (fax)
ntnb@nbnet.nb.ca

Laura Minich
Acting Executive Director
(506) 457-2398
(506) 450-2137 (fax)
ntnb@nbnet.nb.ca