Clark's Point Preserve

Located near Scotch Ridge, 14 km north of St. Stephen, the Clark's Point nature preserve protects 138 ha of St. Croix River shoreline habitat flanked by upland hardwood and softwood forests. The Clark's Point preserve is characterized primarily by the St. Croix River, which forms the preserve's western boundary, a lowland marsh-meadow, and upland forest patches of cedar, hemlock, tolerant hardwoods and mixed softwood hardwood stands. Near the southeastern entrance to the property, beavers have dammed a small brook creating a pond and wetland meadow upstream.The preserve is home to an impressive number of rare and very rare plant species. The preserve's botanical richness appears to be concentrated in the several kilometres of St. Croix River frontage, along which grow the following rare species: two waterworts (Elatine americana and E. minimum), sweet viburnum (Viburnum lentago), silky dogwood (Cornus amomum), and buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). Within the marsh-meadow complex grow small populations of the very rare boreal aster (Aster borealis) and the rare peat moss (Sphagnum nitidum), while another rare moss (Rauiella scita) and a hornwort (Anthoceros laevis subsp. Carolinianus) can be found within the upland forests.Mr. Peter and Mrs. Carol Orser of Ohio very generously donated Clark's Point to the Nature Trust in 2001. The riverside preserve represents a valuable addition to the array of natural areas protected by the Nature Trust. Indeed, the preserve's size, shoreline habitat, unique flora, and its geographic location in the west of New Brunswick combine to make the site highly deserving of the Trust's protection. Furthermore, the property is situated along the St. Croix International waterway and its conservation contributes to the potential creation of a provincial park along the river's corridor.