Purchase of land in Point Deroche 'monumental,' says P.E.I. conservation group

The Island Nature Trust is celebrating the conservation of land that it says has deep historical, cultural and ecological significance along P.E.I.'s North Shore.

The not-for-profit organization recently finalized the purchase of nearly 81 hectares in the Point Deroche area, about 30 kilometres northeast of Charlottetown. 

The land that sits just off the eastern edge of Point Deroche Pond includes a beach, dunes, a peat bog, marshland and forests, along with an abundance of wildlife. 

"It's a monumental and historical acquisition," said Simon Andrea, Island Nature Trust's land acquisition manager. 

"There's not many parcels that are forested, that don't have homes on them, that are over 200 acres on P.E.I., so to be able to protect one of those in Queens County is super special." 

In a social media post, the group said recent events at Point Deroche "have once again led to calls for increased land and coastal protection" in the province. 

That's in reference to a vacation home that was built in the area that sparked public concern around buffer zones and shoreline access. The massive stone armouring installed at the site to help protect the property from erosion blocks access to a public beach. 

In 2022, the controversy led then-environment minister Steven Myers to implement a provincial moratorium on shoreline development.

Island Morning6:37More land is being protected on P.E.I.

The Island Nature Trust has been protecting land on P.E.I. for more than 40 years, and its latest purchase is right back where it started — Point DeRoche. We'll find out about the new piece of land and an event they're holding there this weekend so Islanders can take a look.

The parcel Island Nature Trust purchased has nothing to do with that vacation home property — Andrea said the land was bought from descendants of the original landowners, whose claim to the property dates back to the 1880s. 

He said open-market land purchases are something Island Nature Trust has been able to do more often recently thanks to funding from the provincial and federal governments, and from organizations like the ECHO and MapleCross foundations. 

"[Landowners are] on the open market, they want to sell their land, which is fair," Andrea said.

"When they hear Island Nature Trust is buying it to conserve it, they do get excited, and we're really happy to have that conversation with them."  

More land purchased

The area holds historical significance not just for the province, but also for Island Nature Trust as an organization. 

The group was founded in 1979 after a proposed resort development near Point Deroche Pond faced public protest. 

As a result, the P.E.I. government of the day purchased two properties off MacDonald Road, near Blooming Point Beach, and leased them to Island Nature Trust as its first natural area in 1982. 

'Mix of ecosystems'

The ultimate goal, said Andrea, is to join this new parcel with the organization's existing properties into one connected preservation area. He said talks are underway with landowners in the area to help make that happen. 

In fact, during an event Saturday at Blooming Point Beach to celebrate the 81-hectare acquisition, Andrea announced that the trust is finalizing the purchase of an additional 25 hectares along the north side of the pond.

While there are no plans to build walking trails on the new Point Deroche land at this point, the public is encouraged to visit the site to see all of its natural wonders. 

"We know that people like to use the pond for hunting, fishing and canoeing, so the more land that we protect out there the more the water in the pond will become healthier," Andrea said. 

"That mix of ecosystems isn't something you see in your typical acquisition, so it holds an amazing amount of wildlife habitat."