Do you love the outdoors? Do you want to protect nature in Nova Scotia? We need your help!

To date, the Nova Scotia Nature Trust has saved over 175 conservation properties encompassing over 25,000 acres of Wabanaki forest, iconic coastlines, islands, lakes, rivers, and wetlands, all providing critical habitat for wildlife.

Through our Land Stewardship program, our promise is to protect these conservation lands forever. Volunteer Property Guardians are vital to the success of this program, helping the Nature Trust with the complex task of monitoring and maintaining properties across the province. And as the amount of land under our care continues to grow, so does our need for volunteer Property Guardians.

***Note that our intake for Property Guardians is currently paused as we focus on building our Wilderness Property Guardian cohort.

Who Are Property Guardians?

• Enthusiastic, outdoorsy, conservation-minded volunteers of all ages
• Individuals, groups, and families
• A network of volunteers who monitor and care for conservation lands owned or legally protected by the Nature Trust
• Ambassadors for nature, both on our lands and in the communities in which we work

What Do Property Guardians Do?

• Visit one or more of our conservation properties on a regular basis
• Let us know any concerns or exciting findings
• Help with monitoring activities to help us understand changes over time

All of our Property Guardian volunteers are welcome to participate in other Nature Trust activities throughout the year such as beach cleanups, boundary marking, trail building, public education and special events. Your professional background may also help contribute key expertise to our land stewardship work.

What is the difference between a Property Guardian and a Wilderness Property Guardian?

• Property Guardians help monitor our easier-to-access properties that can be visited regularly
• Wilderness Property Guardians are assigned to more remote wilderness sites, visited once a year, and require more advanced outdoor skills

Thanks to the TD Bank Group for their generous support of our Connecting Communities to Nature program.

This program is currently focused on supporting the development and implementation of our volunteer program, in particular our Property Guardians. It’s a way to engage local citizens to protect the natural places they love; restoring and maintaining wild places, and creating connections between community and nature.

Resources for Property Guardians