Vol. 4, No. 2 Contents
Headline Back Issues
Spring 2000
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Gulf islands feeling pressure of their growing popularity (cont'd) |
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Buying protectionLand trusts and government agencies that work with them to protect valuable areas say that all other means of protecting islands - including education and limited access - work best if the island is protected for conservation. Numerous land trusts and agencies are collaborating to purchase land outright from willing sellers or to acquire easements from conservation-minded owners willing to forgo development rights. Chris Hamilton of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, which is continuously working to preserve islands, described those efforts in the states as a race against development. "Any island or portion of an island which is undeveloped we see as a very limited and important natural resource. It's a matter of whether we can get enough money quick enough so we can act." The groundwork for similar efforts in the Atlantic provinces is getting under way. The New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy's Coastal Habitat Program is beginning to prioritize islands for acquisition and protection, according to Kevin Connor, a Wildlife Biologist with the department. Additionally, the Nature Conservancy of Canada's Atlantic region is "focusing its conservation efforts on the Bay of Fundy, which may include preserving islands within the Gulf of Maine," added Hines-Clark. While island-hopping is now at relatively manageable levels in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, officials there say they feel pressure to work on land acquisition. Colin MacKinnon, Senior Wildlife Biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service Habitat Management Program, emphasized the importance of protecting islands before traffic increases, observing, "Mitigation can be very difficult after the fact."
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