The wave of support for protecting gypsum karst continues to resound all around Plaister Cliffs! We are honoured to announce the protection of 218 more acres of this globally rare and visually stunning landscape.

The newly protected land consists of an “almost” island, known as Island Point. It is a geological formation that extends almost three kilometers into the Bras d’Or Lakes off the south side of Boularderie Island, approximately five kilometers from the large karst landscape protected last fall.

Like that land, Island Point holds intact karst landscape, including cliffs, sinkholes, and fissures created through the relentless dissolution of the underlying gypsum bedrock. The unique chemistry and topography of this unusual terrain support rare and specialized plants and forest as well as large expanses of old growth forest. The Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre has identified several plant species of conservation concern on the property, including Porcupine Sedge, Frankton’s Saltbush, Red Goosefoot, Soapberry, and Triangular-valve Dock.

The land also includes 6.5 kilometers of now-protected Bras d’Or shoreline, a globally significant estuary system forming part of the Bras d’Or Lake Biosphere Region. Much of the regional shoreline is privately held and fragmented, increasing development risk, so protecting an intact stretch of coast is important for maintaining water quality, reducing erosion, and preserving habitat for migratory and resident species.

At the base of the point a brackish barachois forms a coastal lagoon, whose shoreline and inlets support tidal marshes and creeks. These wetlands provide shallow, sheltered aquatic habitat that is used as a nursery for several fish species, like Mummichog; they also support localized nutrient and sediment processes and contribute to habitat diversity within the Bras d’Or Lake system. The barachois and marsh complex also provides seasonal foraging habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, and wading birds commonly associated with Bras d’Or Lake.

Island Point is well known to many area kayakers and boaters for its visually remarkable white gypsum cliffs and its sandy beach, a welcoming landing place for a mid-adventure picnic stopover.

Thanks to the support of so many Nova Scotians who care about preserving our province’s unique natural legacy, this excellent point – Island Point – will remain in our nature forever! Your continued support for our conservation of new lands is critical to ensuring that Nova Scotia’s most ecologically valuable and most at-risk natural places will never be lost.

This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada and the Government of Nova Scotia through the Canada-Nova Scotia Nature Agreement.

The Canada-Nova Scotia Nature Agreement is a project of the Province of Nova Scotia. Working with conservation partners, the goal is to increase the amount of protected and conserved areas and advance an integrated approach to the protection, conservation and recovery of biodiversity, including habitat, species at risk and migratory birds, in the Province. The Canada-Nova Scotia Nature Agreement is funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada, through the Canada Nature Fund.

This project was also made possible by the Waltons Trust.

Our thanks as well for generous support from the Nova Scotia Crown Share Land Legacy Trust, a critical source of land securement funding for Nova Scotia’s land trusts.