Category: News

Private Steward Jeanne Maki

Bhreagh Krszwda
Jeanne Maki under a beautiful beech tree on her property.

Jeanne Maki is one of the private land stewards that has taken the safekeeping of PEI’s natural areas into her own hands. Jeanne protected two forested properties in 2019 under the PEI Natural Areas Protection Act, the 40.5-acre Page and Maki Natural Area in Lewes and the 50-acre Jeanne Maki Natural Area in Iona. Jeanne has been a fixture in the conservation community for many years and was the 2020 recipient of the Hon. J. Angus MacLean Natural Areas Award for her significant work in increasing and improving natural areas in PEI. Here are a few thoughtful words from Jeanne about her choice to protect her land:

Read more

Island Nature Trust protects land and wildlife with donation from PEI liquor stores

Ben Russell

A five-year agreement with PEI Liquor Control Commission and partnering suppliers, has helped the Trust acquire natural areas in Alexandra and significantly accelerated its protection program.

 L-R: Island Nauture Trust staff – Charlotte Thompson, Fund Development Coordinator and Bianca McGregor, Executive Director, pictured with Darlene Compton, Minister of Finance for Prince Edward Island at Government House in Charlottetown.
Read more

First of its kind donation sees American family return forest and wetland back to Islanders

Ben Russell

A game-changing cross-border partnership between Island Nature Trust and American Friends of Canadian Conservation – launched to help American landowners donate their land for conservation purposes – is celebrating its first win.

American ownership is approximately 3.5% of the total land on PEI, yet for many years, American landowners interested in donating land for conservation purposes have experienced disproportionate legal and financial barriers. However, thanks to INT and American Friends initiative forged in 2018, significant tax relief is now secured for American donors.

Read more

An Introduction to Ecosystem Services

Ben Russell

By Janell Smith

What are ecosystem services and why are they important?

Ecosystem services are the benefits that nature provides to humans and are often categorized into provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural. You may be most familiar with provisioning ecosystem services – including food from forests, fields, and oceans; lumber for timber and firewood; drinking water; and even natural gas and oil. Other provisioning services include plants for clothing and materials, as well as natural medicines.

Regulating services provided by natural ecosystems include climate regulation, pollination, purification of water, erosion control, flood control, and carbon storage. Supporting services include the processes that often go unseen but are fundamental to human health, such as soil formation, nutrient cycling, and water cycling. Cultural services are the non-material benefits provided by nature through spiritual enrichment, inspiration, recreation, and aesthetic value (as you can see, ecosystem services are vital to our everyday lives!). As with all life, the categories of ecosystem services are interconnected. For example, fruit trees (provisioning service) rely on the soil (supporting service) and pollination (regulating service) to thrive.

Read more

Trail Code of Care

Ben Russell
INT Trail Code of Care 2021Download

Here at the Trust, we are ready to greet the long-awaited arrival of summer and we welcome you to venture out to one of natural areas. While we understand people’s need to immerse themselves in the natural environment, it is crucial to do so while being mindful of our responsibilities to Island wildlife.

Please read, download or print our Island Nature Trust – Trail Code of Care before venturing out to one of our natural area trails.

Read more

INT is celebrating spring by teaming up with PEI liquor stores for the ‘Let’s Protect Our Island’ campaign

Ben Russell
From left: Helena Villard, Manager of Queen Street liquor store, Darlene Compton, Minister of Finance and Minister Responsible for the Liquor Control Commission and Bianca McGregor, Executive Director of Island Nature Trust. Pictured at the Queen Street liquor store in Charlottetown.

After a one-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ‘Lets Protect Our Island’ collaboration between Island Nature Trust and the PEI Liquor Control Commission is now entering its fifth year. The campaign running from April 1st to May 18th with participating suppliers of beer, wine and spirits donating up to $1 from their sales of participating products at PEILCC retail outlets to Island Nature Trust. Signage promoting this initiative – including the featured products – can be found in all 18 PEI Liquor retail outlets across the province.

Read more

Announcing the Trust’s first Honorary Patron

Ben Russell
From left: Treasurer – Rob Mackay, Vice President – Jan Matejcek, President – June Jenkins Sanderson, Lt.-Gov. Antoinette Perry, Secretary – Bruce Craig, Director of Conservation – Megan Harris and Executive Director – Bianca McGregor.

An interview with Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island: Antoinette Perry

By Ben Russell – Communications Manager

The Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island Antoinette Perry is a respected educator from Tignish and a proud Acadian. Before her retirement from teaching in 2009, she enjoyed a distinguished 32-year career at Tignish Consolidated Elementary School where she taught Music and French. She serves as an organist and church choir director at St. Simon and St. Jude Parish and as a co-coordinator of the Parish’s Summer Organ Recital Series.

Becoming an honorary patron to Island Nature Trust made perfect sense to the Honourable Antoinette Perry. She recalls that from a young age ‘environmental consciousness’ was instilled in her while growing up in a small Tignish community. There she was exposed to a sentiment that resonates with her to this day – to respect each other and the environment we live in.

Read more