Newsletter #1

2024-04-25

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Our Nature Sanctuary on Grand Manan is today’s featured topic which is our latest project.

We are so excited and proud to share what we plan on creating!

Welcome to our very first newsletter where we cover a variety of topics from the tiniest of insects to the grand waterways of our province!

For the love of nature! We are on a mission to provide you with nature photography and videos, fun facts, and outdoor experiences from around the province.

The sanctuary is located on the left-hand side of Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick at the civic address number 599.

Look toward the left-hand side as you keep driving from the ferry on Route 776.

It is private property so enter the premises at your own risk and follow the official guidelines for wetlands in our province.

The Sanctuary sits across the road from the mailboxes at the foot of Hill Road.

Find it just after the entrance of Marsh Road which leads to the Provincial Park beach and picnic area if you’re arriving from the ferry.

Castalia Marsh is a saltwater wetland marsh. This popular spot for birdwatching is registered as a Nature Sanctuary as of December 2023 by the Nature Connexion.

We plan on building a birdwatching blind to observe the birds who frequent and live on the marsh as well as other wildlife and the plants that grow there.

As birds migrate from the mainland many make their way southwards passing through Grand Manan to continue the route following the Fundy coast of New Brunswick from the USA which is 15 km to Lubec, Maine across the Grand Manan channel.

Bird observers worldwide visit for a chance to see rare birds. Recently a SWALLOW-TAILED KITE (STKI) was first reported by Chris Sutherland and Jesse Gagne then Sable Benson observed it too.

It was relocated and photographed by Mark Morse with Karen Miller who are well-known experts on the island.

This bird was only documented once so far in the province by Jim Wilson! Many people had the chance to observe it.

Salt marshes provide a variety of ecosystem regulation benefits. For example, climate regulation, flood protection, important habitat for wildlife, and acting as biological filters for contaminants thus protecting our oceans.

Salt marshes are effective in harvesting carbon. “However, salt marsh plants are well known for pumping oxygen from the atmosphere to the deeper sediment, turning the redox conditions of the root zone oxidative and as a consequence stimulating aerobic microbial activity”(Ludemann et al., 2000).

With only 3% of Canadian marshes listed as conservation areas, coastal ecosystems become vulnerable to climate change and worse: to rising sea levels.

Wonderful news! We got the Wetland water permit to build a bird observation blind on the Nature Sanctuary and the ground work has just commenced! Our submission for an application to build from the planning and building codes of the Southwest New Brunswick Service Commission was approved.

We have been clearing the area of litter and debris. This will be ongoing. No vegetation will be removed on the marsh except for a small path leading to the bird observation blind that will be built very shortly.

What has been accomplished so far:

Litter and large garbage and debris have been removed. Holes have been dug for the blind. Swallow boxes have been placed.

Lumber has been purchased for the blind.

Our wishes and dreams for the future:

We would like the Marsh Sanctuary to include the following items. Let us know your thoughts on anything else we could add.

1. Signage for safety and regulations for the sanctuary, its ethics, dedication, and no hunting

2. A sign directing visitors to where to enter daily bird observations plus a link to the Nature ConneXion website

3. A garbage disposal area

4. Picnic tables

5. A bird observation blind

6. Cut the dead branches that pose a danger

7. Continual litter removal

8. Bird feeders

9. A path in the woods leading to an observation deck

10. A bridge over the stream leading to the bushes

11. A permaculture huglekultur pollinator garden for birds and other wildlife containing only native plants

12. Milkweed plants along the roadway for the endangered Monarch butterfly

13. A row of stabilizing vegetation along the bank

14. A fire pit with seating

15. A sandbox for younger children

16. A designated parking area

Come and root for us! We will be adding some milkweed plants near the ditch to help preserve the Monarch butterfly that is now on the endangered species list.

Asclepias is a genus of herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants. They are in the Subfamily Asclepiadoideae in the Genus called Asclepias; L. In the Kingdom of Plantae Order, it is Gentianales.

Some milkweed plants were generously donated to the sanctuary by a Grand Mananer! We are so excited to begin the season with the planting as soon as they can be dug up.

We will also be planting milkweed seedlings that have been donated by a member of the Moncton Seed Library and are now in pots.

Some native red osier dogwood (red twig dogwood) Cornus Sericea, along with native willow Salix Spp. will be planted near the edge of the creek that flows down from Hill Road into the ocean to preserve the banks.

A small pollinator garden will be added for birds, bats, insects, and butterflies.

Marsh Mysteries! In the past, a string of Christmas lights was strung on the pine tree in the sanctuary.

Removal has begun, however we will return with wire cutters as it is tangled up.

Many light bulbs fell onto the grass beneath the tree and will be removed for safety reasons.

If you have photos or knowledge of the date they were installed we are curious to know when.

People we spoke to have no recollection of it being lit.

Until next time, Grasp Grow Gather!

 

Nature is not a place to visit, it’s home. You’re not apart from Nature you are a part of it. 

 

At Nature ConneXion we are dedicated to connecting and reconnecting all ages to nature. We believe that healthy ecosystems are the basis for healthy wildlife.

By assuring the preservation of vegetation, waterways, and their inhabitants and sharing knowledge with the public we can make a difference in the world.

Visit our web page 

www.NatureConneXion.ca