Nature Conservancy gets donation of land with old growth forest in N.S.

HALIFAX - About 150 hectares of land that contains an old growth forest and a special habitat for at-risk birds in Nova Scotia is being donated to the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

The group says the land in the Long Tusket Lake area also has wetland suitable for waterfowl nesting and almost two kilometres of lakeshore.

The group says the stands of red spruce, white pine and red maple are home to uncommon and at-risk birds, like the Canada warbler, chimney swift and common nighthawk.

The land, which was donated by Paul and Ann Stehelin, was the site of the settlement of New France in the mid-1800s.

The Stehelin family immigrated from France and established a timber business on the banks of Langford Lake, just south of the donated lands.

The group says old forests account for less than one per cent of all forested lands in Nova Scotia.