MUSQUASH, N.B. - The Nature Conservancy of Canada has expanded its nature reserve in the Musquash Estuary in southern New Brunswick.

The conservation organization says it has purchased a total of 435 hectares of forest land and salt marsh sites surrounding the estuary in order to protect water quality and to provide habitat for wildlife.

The conservancy says two of the four land parcels were purchased with $181,000 in funding from the federal Natural Areas Conservation Program.

Under the program the conservancy is committed to raising matching funds for each federal dollar received.

With the addition of the four sites, the conservancy says over 86 per cent of the shoreline around the Musquash Estuary is now managed for conservation.

The estuary, located west of Saint John, was designated New Brunswick's only federal Marine Protected Area in 2006.