A small island in Cascumpec Bay off Prince Edward Island’s North Shore will soon be protected land, and in five years, the Island’s Mi’kmaq will become its permanent stewards.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada has announced it plans to buy Oulton’s Island, or Kwesawe’k in Mi’kmaw.
“When we can find these little gems that seemed to have been spared from threats of development, it’s just great to be able to bring them into conservation,” said Lanna Campbell, program director for P.E.I. with the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
“There’s lots of small mammals that use the island, lots of shore birds feed on its shores. It’s just this beautiful little spot. And when you’re there, you feel like you’re sort of intruding on their home,” Campbell told Mitch Cormier on Island Morning.
Kwesawe’k, which is about 85 hectares or 210 acres, is made up of salt marsh, wetlands, traditional Wabanaki (Acadian) forest, and four kilometres of beach shoreline. It sits about 400 metres offshore in Cascumpec Bay.
“Every time we go to this island we discover something new. This summer we found nesting great blue heron and double-crested cormorants,” said Campbell.
The island was privately owned and the conservancy negotiated the $1.2-million purchase, for which it continues to raise funds.
In five years, the conservancy will transfer ownership of the Island to the Epekwitk Assembly of Councils.
Campbell said her group has been working in collaboration with the Mi’kmaw community on this area of P.E.I. for a while.
“We approached the P.E.I. Mi’kmaq to sort of gauge their interest in becoming the long-term stewards of Oulton’s for conservation … seeing that this area has a heightened cultural significance to them,” said Campbell.
“So this beautiful partnership has formed … it’s just really a blessing to be learning from each other on the land.”
In a news release, Lennox Island First Nation Chief Darlene Bernard, who is also the co-chair of the Epekwitk Assembly of Councils, said that collaborating on conservation with Indigenous people is valuable and essential.
“Our people have always been guardians of the natural world, and we are pleased to continue that tradition while partnering with like-minded organizations such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada,” said Bernard in the release.
“We look forward to protecting and conserving this important part of Epekwitk together for generations to come.”
The purchase of the island is separate from the ongoing negotiations between Parks Canada and the Mi’kmaq on the nearby proposed Pituamkek national park reserve.
Campbell said the conservancy and representatives from the Mi’kmaw community have been visiting the island together, including several trips this past summer.
“It’s just a really magical island and we’re excited to see what we may uncover archaeologically from maybe past use of Mi’kmaq of this area,” she said.