WOODSTOCK – The founding of many of Canada’s first towns can be said to be due in large part to the use of river systems winding inland, especially in New Brunswick. The Saint John River in particular has many communities along its shores.
In Woodstock, New Brunswick’s oldest incorporated town, the Meduxnekeag River joins the St. John in its southeastern course. Woodstock is the center of a large catchment community otherwise known as Carleton County. The Meduxnekeag River ends in Woodstock, and is similar to it in many ways.
Rivers and other bodies of water are invaluable. Using them for navigation and transportation has long been a standard. The founding of Woodstock by Loyalists following the American War of Independence was made possible by the presence of one. They are widely used as a source for water, an inextricable part of human life, as well as a source of food.
People who live outside of Woodstock depend on the town for many things. Services are more widely available. They can access grocers, health care practitioners and many other desirable resources. The Meduxnekeag provides many of the same things in different ways.
We are still only considering the uses that human beings have found for themselves. When you consider the impact a river has on the area through which it flows, it is not measurable through the uses we humans can derive. The well being of the entire surrounding ecosystem is directly correlated to the presence and health of the river, just as towns like Woodstock are directly connected to the people that surround it.
Protecting the natural world through conservation is a movement that has been gaining momentum for many years. As human populations grow, increasing amounts of resources and land is used to satisfy our demands. Some put a high value on the conservation of ecologically significant habitats as it becomes increasingly more important to protect them from encroachment.
The Meduxnekeag River Association is one such organization that does place a high value on said habitats.
“A lot of things that govern our lives are administered through government, but there’s still a large area of inactivity when it comes to watersheds and conservation in general. I think communities fill a void that governments (can’t) because of either jurisdiction or limited resources.”
Stephen Wilson is the President of the Meduxnekeag River Association. He said that watersheds, particularly in New Brunswick, tend to define communities.
“I think the community can kind of tap into that void to deal with those important things that relate to watersheds, everything from clean water, to biodiversity to recreation. You can even say cultural pursuits, if picking fiddleheads is part of N.B. culture. The Meduxnekeag is probably one of the last great habitats for the ostrich fern.”
Their small office in downtown Woodstock overlooks the Saint John River just before it reaches the mouth of the Meduxnekeag. It is just large enough to accommodate two work areas, and the space is well used. The walls are covered with posters from children and other groups thanking them for their work. The largest wall is covered with two giant posters of the Meduxnekeag watershed - one from the past, one from the present.
“We have a number of interrelated mandates. The primary one is to protect the ecologically and environmentally sensitive land in the Meduxnekeag watershed.”
George Peabody is one of two Program Coordinators with the organization. When first visiting with him, his large insulated rubber boots backed up his claims that the trails were in good conditions that time of the year, even with all the snow.
The Meduxnekeag River Association wasn’t always called by that name. In fact, the association originated as the Meduxnekeag Trout Association. Its original impetus was the protection of the river and its tributaries as trout habitats.
The Meduxnekeag has native populations of both brook trout and brown trout. It is also one of only two rivers in New Brunswick to have native populations of brown trout coexisting with brook trout.
As time went on, the founders eventually became aware of some unique qualities of the Meduxnekeag, and there was a much stronger desire to protect those remarkable qualities.
“Land trust wasn’t part of the original plan. I guess it’s getting to be a bit of a cliché now, but Appalachian Hardwood forest covered the rich soils of the St. John River valley, and west of the valley in particular,” said Wilson, president of the association.
“Those forests were typically cleared for agriculture. The land acquisition was (started) partly because 1% of the original Appalachian Hardwood forest exists when you look at its historical range, and 45% of that 1% is along the Meduxnekeag valley.”
In 1997, the Provincial Nature Trust of NB conducted a survey of Appalachian Hardwood Forests. The results showed that the Meduxnekeag watershed had the highest concentration of Appalachian Hardwood forest sites in New Brunswick, as well as the richest and most diverse sites.
According to the Provincial Nature Trust of NB, Appalachian Hardwood Forests are found nowhere else in Atlantic Canada. They occur in the sheltered confines of the St. John River valley. What was once a continuous woodland ranging as far north as Grand Falls is now a patchwork of small areas, cut off by potato fields and settlements.
Appalachian Hardwood forests are characterized by the presence of four hardwood tree species: basswood, butternut, white ash and ironwood. Despite the aggravated situation, the Nature Trust found “thirty-five provincially uncommon, rare or very rare plant species.”
“When you look around the world and you see how quickly these natural green spaces are disappearing, it is very critical that we protect and preserve some of these lands so our children and all these future generations can actually see what we are seeing,” said Renata Woodward, Executive Director of the Provincial Nature Trust of New Brunswick.
When the Provincial Nature Trust approached the Meduxnekeag River Association to talk about the unique characteristics they had discovered, it awakened an interest in more than purely the river.
Up until the time the survey was conducted, the organization had been focused on the river and its tributaries. They had surveyed populations of fish and other organisms and undertaken some streambed restoration projects. But after learning of the significance of the surrounding forest, the concern was taken beyond the river to include the forest that the river is part of.
In the fall of 1998, one of the Appalachian Hardwood forest sites that were surveyed came on the market. It was a prominent hill of mature hardwood, which is typically bought and sold for its timber. This news was brought to the board of the Meduxnekeag River Association, and two of the members bought a thirty-day option to purchase.
On a Sunday afternoon soon afterwards, half a dozen of the directors and some of their family members drove out to the site, known as Wilson Mountain. When they had climbed to the top of hill, an eagle circled slowly above them. The members quickly agreed that the Meduxnekeag River Association would purchase the land for $130,000.
The association had less than $150 dollars in the bank at the time. They bought it using a bank mortgage that was individually guaranteed by ten directors and supporters of the organization. They organized a 5-year fundraising plan to pay for the property; the success of the fundraiser was impressive enough to pay the mortgage in only four.
This series of events has led to the Meduxnekeag River Association continuing with property purchases, now owning more than 10 properties, all within the ecologically significant watershed area.
Wilson Mountain was the first property to be purchased, which now has more than 10 kilometres of well-marked, low-impact trails. This initial purchase was followed by the acquisitions of Leonard Woods, Bell Forest and Morrison Lake. They have also received a donation of property on the north bank of the Meduxnekeag named Keenan Ridge, honouring the donor.
As of March 31st of this year, the Meduxnekeag River Association has confirmed the purchase of three additional properties acquired with the support of a very well recognized conservancy group in Canada.
“Of late, we’ve partnered with the Nature Conservancy of Canada,” explained Wilson. “Their partnership is an acknowledgement of the fact that it is an important natural habitat to try to protect.”
The Nature Conservancy of Canada is “Canada’s leading national land conservation organization.” In 2007, the NCC received a grant from the federal government, which they decided to sub-grant to local land trusts in an effort to further their goals of conserving important areas.
“For projects that are being done within areas that the NCC has recognized as priority areas to do land conservation because of their ecological significance, groups can apply for support – up to 50% of the project,” said Paula Noel, Program Manager for New Brunswick with the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
“Whichever province we’re in, we work closely with local land trusts, such as the Meduxnekeag, to promote and help groups to do land conservation in the province.”
The Meduxnekeag River Association holds an annual dinner and auction each spring that typically nets $15,000 to $20,000. About half of that goes towards property purchases, with the remainder funding other organizational expenses.
The organization received official charitable tax status in 2002, opening up the door for charitable foundations. The Woodstock Rotary Club generously donated each year for the purchase of the Wilson Mountain and Bell Forest properties. They have also received support from four different Canadian charitable foundations for property purchases, as well as financial support from both the Provincial Nature Trust of NB and the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
