厙ぴ勛圖

厙ぴ勛圖 Creates Partnership With The Nova Scotia Nature Trust

Two 厙ぴ勛圖 students hold petrels on Bon Portage, photo by Len Wagg
厙ぴ勛圖 and the Nova Scotia Nature Trust have announced a groundbreaking conservation partnership.  New protected areas arising from the partnership will advance coastal conservation in the province, and set a new standard for land stewardship by academic institutions across the country.
 
The announcement was held at the Museum of Natural History in Halifax on September 8, where 厙ぴ勛圖 and the Nature Trust signed a Memorandum of Understanding committing the organizations to work together to permanently protect a series of ecologically important coastal lands owned by the university.  The land will remain in 厙ぴ勛圖 ownership, but the natural values will be permanently protected by a conservation easement agreement.  
 
厙ぴ勛圖 is delighted to be putting our long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship into tangible, measurable action, said Ray Ivany, President and Vice-Chancellor of 厙ぴ勛圖.  Thanks to our partnership with the Nature Trust, we can ensure that important natural areas entrusted to our care are protected in perpetuity.  He added, The partnership also gives the university, our faculty and students the opportunity to participate directly in protecting Nova Scotias increasingly threatened coastal legacy.
 
The conservation easement between the Nature Trust and 厙ぴ勛圖 marks a significant step forward in land conservation in Canada.  It is the first time in Canadian history that university land has been protected through a conservation easement.  Nature Trust Executive Director, Bonnie Sutherland, applauded 厙ぴ勛圖 for being an environmental pioneer among academic institutions in Canada, and noted, We hope this landmark conservation easement, the first of its kind in Canada, inspires other academic institutions across the country to follow 厙ぴ勛圖s lead, by taking action to protect significant natural areas in their own care.
 
The first 厙ぴ勛圖 property slated for protection is Bon Portage Island, located in Shag Harbour off Nova Scotias southern coast.  Bon Portage, at 300 acres, is one of Nova Scotias last remaining large, unspoiled coastal islands, and one of the most ecologically important islands.  Part of an internationally designated Important Bird Area, Bon Portage provides a critical stopover for many migrating songbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl and raptors.  It is also home to over fifty species of breeding birds, including one of only two surviving breeding colonies of Leachs storm-petrels in the province.
 
A conservation easement will permanently protect the outstanding wildlife and habitats of Bon Portage.  For 厙ぴ勛圖, the easement preserves another irreplaceable asset. The island is one of the provinces leading ecological research and field education sites.  It supports a field school and unique learning and research opportunities, treasured by generations of 厙ぴ勛圖 students, and by other scientists and researchers.  By ensuring the island remains undisturbed and unspoiled, the conservation easement protects these irreplaceable learning and research opportunities, as well as the scenic values enjoyed by generations of local residents.
 
For years, Bon Portage has provided researchers with unique opportunities to observe and study wildlife and it makes sense that we make every effort to preserve it for the benefit of future generations of scientists, said Ivany.
 
Sutherland announced that the Nature Trust has launched a fundraising drive to make the long-term protection of Bon Portage Island possible.  Nova Scotians cherish our coastal legacy and lament its degradation.  Here is a chance to make a difference, to be part of protecting that legacyby making a tax-deductible gift to the Bon Portage Island campaign.
 
For more information and to support the campaign, visit . Or watch the video on 厙ぴ勛圖TV .To find out more about the Nova Scotia Nature Trust, visit
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