For nearly four decades, the Nature Trust of New Brunswick has been protecting the forests, wetlands, islands, and shorelines that shape our province’s identity. From our very first nature preserve in 1988 to 97 properties today, each protected place represents the same thing: a community that chooses conservation.
Now, we are on the cusp of a once-in-a-generation achievement:
Securing our 100th
nature preserve
This milestone is the story of thousands of New Brunswickers who have stepped up over the years— donors, volunteers, community partners—all united around the belief that the wild places we love should remain protected forever.
To get there, we’re inviting people across New Brunswick and beyond to be Together for 100 — a campaign where every gift, of every size, brings us one step closer to securing three ecologically significant properties and reaching our 100-preserve milestone.
Two Ways to Make Your Impact
1. Donate to the Together For 100 campaign
Make a gift of any amount toward this 100-preserve milestone. Whether you give $25, $50, or $250, you’re supporting the establishment and ongoing care of three ecologically significant properties that will bring us to our 100th nature preserve.
2. Join the Together for 100 Legacy Circle
For donors who feel deeply connected to this milestone moment, we invite you to make a leadership gift of $1,000 to help secure and care for the three properties leading to our 100th nature preserve. A gift at this level is a legacy, anchoring the long-term stewardship that keeps these forests, wetlands, and river corridors protected forever.
The Trail to 100
Below are the three properties your gift will help secure and care for:
98. Forested Wetlands of Tracyville 🌲🌸
On the North Branch Oromocto River, where thousands of shining gaspereau migrate each year, stands 22 hectares of mature, undisturbed forests, wetlands and riparian habitat. Spruce trees guard the riverbank downhill of abundant Ironwood, Red Oak and near-threatened White Ash. In the spring, Bloodroot flowers bloom among these rich hardwoods and decorate the ground with their bright white petals resembling persisting snow, providing nectar to awakening pollinators. Other rich-soil indicator plants such as Christmas fern, two-leaved toothwort, and goldthread thrive here, reflecting the ecological quality of the forest floor.
The landscape transitions into luscious, climate resilient cedar wetlands alongside stands of the Wabanaki-Acadian Forest’s tallest tree species, White Pine. Moose sign is frequent throughout the property, along with bear and coyotes. Amphibians and insects are provided a haven via the Yoho Stream that crosses the property and the many vernal pools which dot the forest floor. Endangered species like the olive-sided flycatcher and bank swallow have been sighted nearby, all of which stand to benefit from the protection of this shoreline corridor and its mature, connected wetlands.
By securing this property, the Nature Trust would safeguard one of the few remaining tracts of mature forest and forested wetland along this stretch of the Oromocto. Its protection would anchor a climate-resilient habitat corridor, preserve culturally significant plant communities, and ensure that future generations can experience a landscape that has been allowed to thrive, uninterrupted, for decades.
99. Riparian Wilds of the Southwest Miramichi 💙🌳
On the shore of the salmon-bearing Southwest Miramichi River lies a compact but remarkably diverse 5.5-hectare (13.5-acre) property where wetlands, forest, shoreline, and even part of a freshwater island meet. Its mix of habitats supports wildlife at every turn: ducks gathering in the quiet wetland, black bear feeding on berries near the field edge, and monarch butterflies drawn to the stand of milkweed that still grows here.
The forest above the floodplain is an early successional spruce-mix stand—a community now uncommon along heavily harvested stretches of the Miramichi. Deadwood, varied canopy species, and two cold-water streams flowing toward the river create the structure needed for a wide range of species and species-at-risk to thrive, including the critically imperiled butternut tree, which grows nearby.
Protecting this land will help maintain cool, clean water for Atlantic salmon, safeguard habitat for species at risk, and preserve a beloved corner of Doaktown’s river valley—a landscape known across the world for its natural beauty and outdoor heritage.
100. Nighthawk Woods of Stanley 🍂🐦
Tucked between Stanley and Fredericton, this 24-hectare mixed-wood forest plays an important role in the Upper Nashwaak landscape. This stretch of woods, shaped by a history of light agriculture and selective harvesting, is steadily returning to mature forest, and acts as an important corridor linking shoreline habitats with upland forests. Bird surveys have recorded roughly 85 species here, including two species at risk: the Eastern wood-pewee and the common nighthawk.
But the land’s conservation value goes well beyond its birdlife. The terrain, embellished with vernal pools and Yellow Lady Slippers, is shaded by tolerant hardwoods, poplars and spruce, giving it a rich range of microhabitats for a relatively compact site. Sitting within the Nature Trust’s Upper Nashwaak focal region, and close to Butternut Island Nature Preserve and other conserved parcels, this property helps stitch together a growing network of protected lands.
Protecting places like this strengthens the resilience of the broader landscape, allowing wildlife to move, adapt, and persist as climate change continues to reshape habitats across New Brunswick. The endangered Hoary Bat, a species that breeds in New Brunswick, has also been observed here. By feeding on moths that defoliate trees, it demonstrates how each species plays a part in maintaining the health of the broader ecosystem.
Why 100 Matters
Reaching 100 nature preserves means 100 wild spaces lovingly cared for by our dedicated community of nature enthusiasts ensuring the same clean rivers, bustling forests, and intact wildlands we cherish today will endure for generations of New Brunswickers to explore.
Your support will:
Protect habitat for species at risk
Safeguard forests that store carbon and regulate climate
Maintain clean water and healthy river systems
Strengthen wildlife corridors across the province
Ensure long-term care of these landscapes
What Our Supporters Are Saying
““If you’re involved with the Nature Trust, you’re doing it for a whole lot of people who aren’t even around yet. They’ll be here in the future.” ”
““I give because I care. I give to other organizations, but don’t feel like going above and beyond. With the Nature Trust, there’s always still a desire to get more involved.””
Join Us — Let’s Protect 100 Nature Preserves Together
Whether you give $25 or join the Legacy Circle with a gift of $1,000, your support protects the places that define New Brunswick — now and forever.
Together, we can reach 100.
Stay in touch
We’d love to stay in contact with you. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to learn more about our beautiful nature preserves, the animals and plants they shelter, and the people who make all of this possible.
