The future protection of the Watterworth
property at Basin Head is the Nature Conservancy
of Canada’s 2007 Gift to Canadians in Prince
Edward Island.
The stunning 142-acre (57-hectare) property was
the last piece of privately owned land on the
Basin Head dune coastline. A significant coastal
site, it is now a well-protected natural area
thanks to the efforts of the federal and
provincial governments and the Nature
Conservancy of Canada (NCC).
"Prince Edward Island coasts are dynamic yet
fragile ecosystems," says John Foley, director
of Land Conservation for NCC in the Atlantic
region.
"NCC's Ecoregional Plan, which pinpoints the
most ecologically significant areas in need of
protection in the region, has identified the
Basin Head Natural Area as a priority
conservation location in need of attention. The
fact that the whole area is now protected is
indeed something to celebrate."
Watterworth is situated in Kings County, at the
eastern tip of P.E.I., approximately 100
kilometres east of Charlottetown, 40 km from the
Greenwich Dunes section of P.E.I. National Park,
between the town of Souris and East Point. An
ecologically essential piece of land, the site
encompasses several distinct habitats -
wetlands, woodlands, salt marsh and extensive
dunes - each offering opportunities for
scientific and educational study at many levels.
Final acquisition of Watterworth could not have
been possible without financial assistance from
Wildlife Habitat Canada, Eastern Habitat Joint
Venture, Tim Banks and Carrie MacNabb, and other
private donors.
"Basin Head is an important and beautiful
natural area for Prince Edward Island," says Tim
Banks. "Carrie and I are very pleased that we
are able to help NCC secure this final piece of
the site as a legacy gift to Islanders, and
Canadians, forever."
NCC-Atlantic has now handed over the Watterworth
property to the province of P.E.I. so that it
can be added to the rest of the protected area
on the Basin Head dune coastline.
"Basin Head was designated as a Marine Protected
Area by the federal government in 2005, in
recognition of its rich and diverse habitat,"
says John Foley. "The addition of this final
piece means that all the land adjacent to the
MPA is now protected, as well, which is great
news for P.E.I.'s, and Canada's, natural
heritage."
The beach at Basin Head is well known for its
whitish-coloured "singing sands," a phenomenon
not fully understood where the fine quarts and
sand makes a distinctive sound in wind or when
stepped on. The sand dunes along the beach are a
nationally rare, fragile, yet dynamic habitat.
Many specially adapted maritime shrubs, such as
Bayberry, and herbs, including Beach Pea, grow
through the sand. Also not to be forgotten is
the protective Marram Grass, which grows in the
shifting sands of the beach. Marram Grass is
essential to the protection of the dunes from
erosion caused by wind and weather. The dune
peninsula is also geologically interesting
because of its spectacular series of old beach
ridges parallel to the Northumberland Strait
shore.
On the marine front, the Basin Head lagoon
contains a unique strain of the commercially
important seaweed, Irish Moss, found nowhere
else in the world. As well, the salt marsh along
the lagoon edge of the property is home to many
migrant waterfowl, shorebirds, seabirds and
landbirds.
This announcement is part of NCC's sixth annual
Gifts to Canadians program, a component of the
organization's ongoing efforts to celebrate and
conserve Canada's biodiversity from coast to
coast and leave a lasting natural legacy for
Canadians. In the lead-up to Canada Day, NCC is
announcing 10 Gifts to Canadians across the
country, one for each province.
Each of the Gifts to Canadians provides habitat
for rare or endangered species.
