In April we shared wonderful news that a generous donor had made it possible for us to save a 100-acre property on Molega Lake, stepping forward to cover the cost of protecting this high-priority land. Now we’re delighted to share more about that donor, Janice MacNeill, and her inspiration for supporting the Nature Trust’s work.

Molega Lake holds special meaning to Janice, as the nexus of deep relationships of a whole lifetime and beyond. Her parents, Gordon and Bobby MacNeill, originally purchased a cottage in the area in the ‘70s. It became a family hub, with her sister and brother having cottages nearby.

Though Janice’s love of Nova Scotia ran deep, complemented by her time at Acadia University, her subsequent professional life took her farther away from the province. As vice-president in a hospital system in Toronto, and with two children to raise, there wasn’t much time for the cottage, but the family did continue to spend at least a week or two of most summers there. The idea of “going to the cottage” was very different for Janice’s family than for their Ontario friends, and Janice remembers how surprised those friends would be when they came to Nova Scotia for a visit. After a nighttime drive down a mostly empty pitch-black highway, they would wake up in shock to the true solitude that had attracted the MacNeills to Molega Lake in the first place.

Janice and her husband, Tom Miller, moved back to Nova Scotia in 2014, and Molega Lake took on an even bigger role in Janice’s life. With more time available, she has been able to spend almost every summer weekend kayaking with her fellow kayakers, where there can be anywhere from four to fourteen women on any given excursion. They each bring their own talents, skills, and humour to the group, like navigation, route planning, weather forecasting, muffin supply, and artistry. “We usually go for a three-hour kayak,” explains Janice, “of which an hour is somewhat serious kayaking. The next hour is some serious chatting, where we have great conversations, laugh, and solve world problems, and then we head back. Hence we refer to ourselves as the ‘ka-yakkers’.”

Over the years, the group has come to have favourite destinations, including places where they know they’ll see – from a distance – a loon or eagle nest, and places that can only be accessed by kayak. Long Cove (in the now-protected property on Molega Lake’s north shore) is the group’s most popular destination. “You’re very much out in nature,” Janice says. “There’s several pristine little bays where we can raft up and pass around the muffins.” One of the ladies, Lezlie Morgan, brings out her sketching materials so that she can capture the inspiration of being out on the water. Janice laughs. “She’s kind of the Eagle Scout of our group, as she knows every little cove and hidden water passageway.”

Lezlie was also the person Janice approached as a sounding board to determine a strategy to secure the property.

“With the fact that that we’ve got family cottages that will probably be passed down, I was really looking for the opportunity for future generations to be able to enjoy an uninhabited part of Molega Lake,” says Janice. “We’ve seen the growth since the ‘70s – that’s more than 50 years of being in the same place and watching it change over time.”

Janice recognizes the need for a balance between development for human use and for protecting nature, and she appreciates that there is room for both to co-exist. “You can’t discourage people from purchasing and building there because, I mean, you’re there. Everybody wants to enjoy that kind of environment. It’s just nice to protect an area that is, frankly, better suited to a non-cottage environment and that allows for the wildlife and plant life to thrive.”

After researching potential organizations through which to direct her philanthropy, she decided that the Nature Trust was the best fit, a solid organization with a good intention.
Janice says, “I feel that if you want to impact an area, if you want to make a change, then you’ve got to take the action yourself.” And while for Janice, that meant a high level of financial support, she also stresses that there are many ways to be part of making the change you want to see. Even just knowing that organizations like the Nature Trust are out there, you can get involved and have an influence on land and a lifestyle that you know is really special.

Molega Lake “will always be in our lives and generations to come,” and Janice is happy to know that family and friends will be able to enjoy it, unchanged, for a long time.

We are so grateful to Janice for her incredibly generous support! The property she has helped protect is part of a larger focus area – learn more about our work protecting habitat all along Molega Lake.