How the Nature Trust is preserving Navy Island

Navy Island, the backdrop of St. Andrews by the sea, and a beautiful destination for those looking to retreat into nature, is only as far away as a fifteen minute kayak.

Part of this island is a nature preserve, taken care of by Nature Trust New Brunswick.

Jon MacNeill, the communications and engagement manager for the Nature Trust said that it’s the quintessential New Brunswick coastal beach.

Navy Island is a healthy landscape teeming with natural life, and to keep it that way, the Nature Trust leads The Great Fundy Coastal Cleanup, which happens on Aug. 16.

The coastal cleanup takes place on beaches all over New Brunswick at ten of the Nature Trust’s destinations across the shoreline.

This year is the tenth anniversary of the cleanup, MacNeill said it means this year’s event will be bigger and better than ever.

“It gives people a chance to access some of our nature preserves that are more remote…. In a lot of cases they are not like Navy Island where you can just hop on a canoe or kayak and make it over…. It can be an opportunity to see these beautiful remote islands,” said MacNeill.

He said that it is inspiring to him that some of the beaches they visit on its coastal cleanup don’t need as much of an intensive cleanup as they used to.

“It’s still a very important activity to get out and help remove some of that debris and it can be pretty eye opening if you’ve never been out to it before,” said MacNeill.

Another reason to get out to Navy Island is to explore the history of the island, MacNeill explained.

Navy Island was originally inhabited by the Peskotomuhkati (Passamaquoddy) peoples, living on the island and using the fishery resources according to MacNeill’s research.

When settlers came to New Brunswick, it hosted colonial communities such as the loyalists, who left behind traces of their settlement like foundations and graveyards.

With that settlement, during a time in the 17th century, the British Navy restricted use of the island to others, according to MacNeill.

The British Navy would use the older and larger trees for repairs on its tall ships, which caused mass clear cutting.

The use of the island by the Navy caused them to call it “Navy Island” commonly, and the name stuck, he said.

Navy Island is a beautiful destination for those looking for a retreat into nature, a calm walk on the beach, or trails to explore.

“We hope that folks can take advantage of having this beautiful piece of coastal property that offers that little getaway into nature,” said MacNeill.

To participate in The Great Fundy Coastal Cleanup, visit the Nature Trust’s website and sign up as soon as you can.