The Nature Conservancy of Canada has partnered with the Village of Riverside-Albert to purchase 132 hectares of land in the Caledonia Gorge area.
The acquisition will not only protect an old, rare Acadian forest but also the village’s water supply.
Nature Conservancy spokesperson Denise Roy says the village was concerned it would lose control of its water.
“They (the village) had a water lease signed with the original owners of the property and that lease was 100 years old and was set to expire in 2019,” she notes.
The $250,000 acquisition cost was made possible thanks to numerous funding partners including the Government of Canada, the provincial government and a significant contribution came from an anonymous New Brunswick donor.
(PHOTO courtesy Nature Conservancy of Canada)