The descendants of the Bovyer family of Bunbury, PE, have helped establish the Bovyer Creek Natural Area through the split-receipt donation of this 28-acre property. This land along Bovyer Creek and Fullerton’s Creek had been in their family for generations and will now be protected forever by Island Nature Trust. Located just outside of Stratford, the natural area protects an important natural space in an otherwise heavily developed part of the Island.
The property features a variety of ecosystems, including riparian forest and salt marshes along both watercourses, which provide important habitat for several species at risk. The property also reflects the Bovyer family’s long-standing care and connection to the land.
A portion of the property was secured through purchase, with funding support from the Government of Prince Edward Island. We thank the Bovyer descendants for their generous contribution and commitment to land conservation.
History of the Bovyer Land – Written by Joyce Dewar
Between the end of the French period in 1763 and 1816, when my ancestor John Bovyer purchased 895 acres in what is now Bunbury and Stratford, the property had changed hands six times. Half of Lot 48 had been seized by the Crown from the estate of the proprietor and was auctioned off in 1780. This was a rare opportunity for a local person to actually own land and escape the chronic problems of land tenancy in 19th-century Prince Edward Island.
Little is known for sure about the natural history of the property along what was then called Mill Creek. During the French period, land was usually cultivated along rivers and around bays. One description survives relating to the property when John’s son Stephen took over:
“The farm was originally very poor quality, much of it being blueberry and laurel barren…and covered with spruce and juniper trees.”
This earlier ad leasing the land in 1788 was much more positive.
Whatever the situation, much of the recorded history relates to a bountiful farming operation over many generations.
Also evident in the Bovyer/Jones history are progressive values and civic engagement:
- PEI’s first female doctor in the 1880s;
- A justice of the peace;
- The first PEI patent;
- A church deacon;
- A minister of agriculture;
- A deputy minister of agriculture;
- A premier
I believe these people would be happy that part of their property will be a protected natural area. Many thanks to the staff at Island Nature Trust for supporting this and for their dedication.
Nursery of Forest Trees
I can’t be sure, but I believe the wooded part of the protected area has never been cultivated. It is certainly mature woodland in a 1926 photo. Also, for many years, the forest was part of the property west of the creek and may have been orphaned from the plow.
There is evidence that Stephen and his son, Franklin Bovyer, had established a tree nursery somewhere on the farm property around 1880. My grandfather, Walter Jones, who assumed farm management with his father-in-law around 1914, notes in a letter, suggesting a farm visit for classes in the Summer School of Science.
“There are foxes and Karakul sheep and a nursery of forest trees and the orchard and strawberries“
In a 1915 letter to the experimental farm, he (Walter Jones) offered to sell several dozen 6-foot-tall Norway maples, “raised from PEI seed”, and golden willows, for 50 cents each. The reply says that they would prefer sugar maples!
I don’t know how long this enterprise continued, but clearly there was great interest in the value of trees on farmland. And to give him credit, the Forestry Division of the Department of Industry and Natural Resources was established in 1951, when he was Premier.
He would be pleased to know that there will again be a tree nursery on the Farm.
Written by Joyce Dewar, one of six family donors and past INT Board Member.
Ongoing Stewardship of Bovyer Creek Natural Area
At the end of November 2025, INT staff established a small open-air nursery by planting seeds from ten native species. The nursery’s goal is to build a cache of locally grown trees and shrubs that can be used to enhance biodiversity across INT’s Natural Areas, including this property.
In the coming years, INT will also work to improve and expand the buffer zones along Fullerton’s Creek and Bovyer Creek.
To learn more about the Bovyer Creek Natural Area, click here.
This donation of land was made possible thanks to the Government of Canada’s Ecological Gift Program. This Program provides a way for Canadians with ecologically sensitive land to protect nature and leave a legacy for future generations. Made possible by the terms of the Income Tax Act of Canada and the Quebec Taxation Act, it offers significant tax benefits to landowners who donate land or a partial interest in land to a qualified recipient. Recipients ensure that the land’s biodiversity and environmental heritage are conserved in perpetuity. LEARN MORE
Ways To Protect Your Land
Private Stewardship
You can retain ownership of the land and still place it under NAPA protection. Our resource guide “Protecting Natural Places in Prince Edward Island”’ provides more detail on this option.
Donate or Sell Your Land
For those who are able, the act of giving land to a land trust so that it may be protected is the ultimate in generosity. Island Nature Trust profoundly appreciates anyone who considers such a gift.
