Originally from St. John’s Newfoundland, I moved to Nova Scotia in 2017 following my career as an airline pilot. After becoming introduced to sailing from friends living in Key Largo, FL, I decided with little experience to buy a 27ft sailboat which happened to be located in Mahone Bay. My original plan was to bring it back to Halifax, but I was told Mahone Bay was one of the most beautiful places to sail, so I decided to keep it located there, and it was from this experience and sailing with friends to the various islands that I became aware of MICA and their important objective in protecting and keeping beaches, islands, and other areas protected from development to maintain their natural beauty. I just recently moved to Mahone Bay to be close to my boat and the ocean and I look forward to being a volunteer this year especially as a Stewart for Andrew’s Island, and excited for future opportunities where I can help out to further preserve this beautiful area.

Bachmans island was formed about 14,000 years ago by the enormous force of 3000 meters of moving glacier which eroded and shaped a mixture of rocks, silt and clay at the glacier base. The half egg shaped hills ( called  drumlins) seen in profile as you approach the island were sculpted by moving ice. After glacial retreat, sea levels were tens of metres lower and the Mahone Bay area was mostly a hilly landscape separated by small lakes and embayments. As water levels rose to the present coastline, waves eroded and reshaped the island shoreline. Storm induced waves washed the silts and clays from the island bluffs  and moved boulders, gravel and sand along the shoreline to produce the beautiful beaches on Bachmans  island. Large volumes of eroded sand and gravels were eroded from the northeastern end of the island and moved by the prevailing storm waves to build the biggest beach which connects the two drumlins. This bridge shaped feature is called a tombolo.

The current MICA champion for Backmans Island is Heiner Josenhans. Heiner worked as a marine geologist with the geological survey of Canada specializing in post glacial land formation. Heiner is happy to champion Backmans island because much of the beauty of the island is the result of mechanisms he spent a career studying.

I grew up in Halifax, but spent the entire summer every year from 6 to 18 at our family cottage on Second Peninsula, where my parents still live for half the year.

I attended Acadia University and moved to western Canada with my husband Rod Tremblay for almost a decade, where I stated my career as a professional biologist, specializing in wetlands. Rod and I moved back to Nova Scotia in 2011, shortly after we moved to Maders Cove, as we always had the goal of living on the south shore. We enjoy sailing and boating for most of the year in the area and have lots of fun on the islands, especially with our now 4-year-old daughter Pearl (and various dogs). As a biologist, I am interested in the island habitats and protection of them. They are such a great resource for the area.

I am born and raised (mostly) in beautiful Nova Scotia.  I was lucky to have grown up boating, sailing, and fishing on the waters of Mahone Bay.  When I did live away it was always the call of the ocean that brought me back.  With a family cottage in Mader’s Cove our whole family has grown up on the water.  Beach trips to many of the islands, mackerel fishing when they are running or touring
countless visitors from away, around Mahone Bay.

As someone who has boated in a few different countries, I know how lucky we are to be able to cruise the serene waters of Mahone Bay.  Very excited to be the MICA Island Champion for Birch and Quaker islands, and to help support such an important mission.

I have been on the water and around the Mahone Bay islands since I was 2 weeks old, sleeping under the curled tree on Bella Island that has now disappeared. My parents have been boating around Mahone Bay for over 50 years, and I was lucky enough to be a part of it.

Growing up in Martins Point and having access to the ocean from Deep Cove I have always been a stone’s throw away from Birch Island (Birchie). I have spent many days & nights on Birchie and have always enjoyed a walk around the island.

I now enjoy the islands in the summer with my Fiancé almost daily, many weekend tenting trips, and trying for a fish when possible.

I am very thankful for all the work MICA has completed over the years to maintain and sustain the islands for myself and future generations. I look forward to being part of MICA and being more involved in helping with the islands.

When Patti and I moved here back in ’91, the first thing we did was buy a 16ft wooden punt which we kept in Lunenburg Back Harbour.

We travelled everywhere but loved the runs up through Tanners Pass and the beaches on the back side of Heckman’s Island before the development came. Both our children grew up around the punt till we got a little faster speed boat in 2001 which now takes us as far as Deep Cove and Tancook for lunch.

Our favorite island by far is the pure tranquility of Long Island, we take all new visitors to show them a little piece of heaven. Next on our list is Squid, just based on the fact it is off the beaten path for most people. But we have spent time on pretty much every MICA island.

My children as well now enjoy the islands, kayaking and camping when they come home for the weekends.

As far as MICA goes I was involved from the early days with cleanups (including my whole family), stewardship committee and since 2010 a Director of Membership and now Stewardship.

Life on the Mahone Bay waters started for me in the late 50’s when my parents bought an old log cabin on Second Peninsula. Although it was only 5 miles from our house on Tower Hill to the cottage, we moved there lock, stock and barrel for July and August every year. Over the years I have hiked and camped on the islands, sailed out of the Lunenburg yacht club, paddled my canoe and hand lined all over the bay. In those days the mackerel, cod, haddock and sea catfish were plentiful with a few halibut thrown in for good measure. At that time, you didn’t have to go past Tancook to get a good catch although we use to go off Pearl and Cross Island as the fishing was good there as well.

I now own the property where the cottage was located and have replaced it with a year-round house. We were fortunate to have the property when our children were growing up so they also got to spend a great deal of time on the waters of Mahone Bay. Our property is directly across from Covey (known to some people as Meisner’s) island so I get up everyday and look at the island I am representing.

Over the years there have been many changes to the island and at this point it has mostly gone back to nature with the fields now overgrown. The bark beetle has killed many of the softwood trees and the winds have knocked them down so walking through much of the woods is a difficult task. However, the main concern with the island is the erosion that is taking place on many locations.

Although I have lived away from the South Shore virtually my whole life, I was born in Bridgewater and my parents have lived in Mahone Bay for more than 30 years.  My fondness for the waters of Mahone Bay and surrounding islands have developed over the years during annual visits to Mahone Bay with my partner and two daughters. 

For the last 20 years, my family has spent significant time on the waters of Mahone Bay, both sailing and power boating. Visiting and spending time on various islands is always the highlight of any summer. We love how each island is a bit unique and has a little something different to offer.  Islands we are particularly fond of are Goat, Covey, and the Masons Island lots. We have spent many summers at Goat Island soaking up the sun, building ‘aquariums’ when the girls were little and filling them with hermit crabs and watching many sailboat regattas from the shore.  Covey Island has always been a great place to swim and picnic with family.  We also love to anchor at Masons Island and socialize with fellow boaters.  

In 2021, we purchased our own home in Mahone Bay and have replaced my parent’s aging boat with a new Robalo R202EX.  I am very excited to get to know the Ernst and Zwicker Island Lots. 

We have been long time supporters of MICA and believe very strongly in the Mission. I am absolutely delighted to be participating as a MICA Island Champion

As a couple and then a family, we have been exploring the islands and waters of Mahone Bay since 1984 in sea kayaks, small sailboats, and motorboats.

We now enjoy daysailing in our trimaran “AquaKnot” which we launched in 2015 after Gary completed its construction. If there is no wind, we take our small motorboat out for an island picnic and swim.

Goat Island is one of our favourite places to visit. We enjoy it’s quiet sandy beach and snorkelling around the island. It is a more suitable place for small boats and kayaks. We are proud to be the MICA stewardship champions for Goat Island.

We have been members and supporters of MICA since its inception and we are very grateful for MICA’s success of conserving many of the beautiful Mahone Bay Islands for people to enjoy recreationally in their natural state.

Gary has carved many folk art fish to raise funds at the MiCA auctions while Krista is now a MICA director and co-chairs the Gala Dinner and Auction Committee.

Jason and Deb Ransom are the founders and owners of Expedition Nova Scotia, operating educational coastal tours out of picturesque Stonehurst.

Certified polar guides through the Polar Tourism Guide Association, the duo began their guiding careers together in Churchill, Manitoba, in 2017. Today, they split their time between the polar regions— guiding in Antarctica and in the sub-arctic every year.

Before transitioning full-time to expedition guiding and nature-based storytelling, both Jason and Deb served as official photographers to the Prime Minister of Canada and as photographers for Team Canada.

After years of covering world leaders, Olympic athletes, and major international news events, they channeled their shared, lifelong passion for wildlife, landscapes, and the outdoors into guiding.

Through Expedition Nova Scotia and their polar journeys, Jason and Deb love sharing unique experiences with curious guests, emerging photographers, and nature enthusiasts. Their work seamlessly blends photography, coastal exploration, and hands-on education, driven by a commitment to conservation and a desire to help people connect more deeply with the natural world.

The water and ocean have always been a large part of my life. While I was brought up in Halifax, I worked out of Chester Basin through my university years for what was then Dragon Port Marine Ltd. (now Gold River Marina). I was the sole employee at the time working for the owner and became the IOR measurer (International Offshore Racing Rule for handicapping purposes) for the Maritime Provinces. In these roles, I was privileged to spend a great deal of time on the water throughout Mahone Bay over those years.

While my career in the aluminum industry took my wife, Pam, and I away from Nova Scotia and all around North America over the next 40 years, our intention was always to retire somewhere on Mahone Bay. In 1999, we were fortunate to acquire a property on the Second Peninsula where we built a permanent home and have resided since retiring in 2013.

We are sailors and have a Beneteau 34 on which we spend 30-40 days a year touring Mahone Bay. Through my history and experiences working on Mahone Bay, and reinforced once we moved here permanently, we recognize the huge privilege and benefit the accessibility to the beautiful and preserved islands around our Bay is for the public. This recognition was well aligned with MICA’s mandate and prompted us to become Life Members when we moved here permanently 7 years ago.

One of our favourite hangouts and anchorages is the protected area between Long Island and Dry, Center and Snipe Islands. It therefore feels very natural for us to pay special attention to the LIPS Islands as part of MICA’s Island Champion program.

Having been born and raised on an island in Chester Basin, I am accustomed to island life. My family spent most summer weekends visiting islands from Second Peninsula to East Chester.

I am a resident of Chester and an avid boater with a Boston Whaler and a wooden Bluenose. I am proud to support and promote MICA’s initiative of protecting and preserving island habitat for wildlife and recreational use.

Al Munroe has over 50 years of marine and defense experience on all three coasts of Canada and abroad. He has commanded 5 of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships including the East Coast Flagship to the Admiral and Fleet Commander. He is a Navigator by profession and has been Superintendent of Hydrographic Services for National Defense with extensive experience in Navigation, Hydrography and Geomatics and related air and marine data provision and production to the Navy, Coast Guard, DOT and RCMP/Maritime Air Fleets. Al has significant experience in underwater survey and diving operations and is a seasoned Trainer and Instructor.

Al has been involved in recovering Ghost Gear along the Southwest Coast including the Mahone Bay for over 7 years with his friends at Titan Maritime/Mahone Marine. He has a close relationship the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Canadian Hydrographic Services and was involved in working with CHS to get inserts of Narrows Basin and Deep Cove on Chart 4381 (Mahone Bay).

Al lives on Long Cove in the Narrows and has been a member of MICA since its inception and is a frequent visitor to its islands along with his grand children and retrievers. Ocean cleanup and island preservation are his passions and views them as a legacy for his grand kids.

I’ve spent my whole life boating. First on Lake Superior in northern Ontario, then on Georgian Bay off of Lake Huron. Seeing the world from the water lends a different perspective; peace, tranquility, and a deep love for nature is what ensues.

I moved to Lunenburg 10 years ago and have had the privilege to raise a family on the South Shore. Mahone Bay is so much like Georgian Bay that it makes both feel like home, and now I enjoy exploring all the islands with my 2 girls and my wife, Anne. I am more than happy to help MICA in its mission to conserve and protect Mahone Bay for our and future generations. I think we can all agree that such a treasure is worthy of such efforts. I thank you for the opportunity to do my part
and look forward to spending more time on Mason’s this summer!

I moved to Mahone Bay in 1983 to work for a “little while”, to pay off my student loan, and I have never left. My very first purchase, after a car, was a canoe to transport me to the islands. I did some island camping and exploring in Queens County as a teenager and was eager to explore the many islands so visible from Mahone Bay. After starting a family, we acquired a sailboat which we have now replaced with kayaks and we love to explore, picnic, swim, snorkel and camp on MICA islands.

I have travelled and explored many parts of the world and I find the coastline and islands of Mahone Bay to be unique and quite spectacular and I feel we need to protect and conserve this area for future generations. The unspoiled, natural beauty and slow pace provide a much needed rest from the busy, often chaotic world we have created.

It is rather miraculous that the small group that gathered in 2001 has succeeded in conserving 18 islands and parts of islands. The hard work, passion and determination of past and present MICA directors gives me hope that anything is possible and so I’m happy to have joined as a director in 2017. I would like to encourage everyone to become a MICA member.

“In wildness is the preservation of the world.” Henry David Thoreau

Chip Veinotte:
My personal interest in the area is that I grew up here and used the islands a lot as a young fellow for recreational purposes. Later on I was employed by DFO to do patrols by boat in the area and later on became a fish habitat biologist doing habitat assessments. My wife and I live in the area and have a waterfront property which we enjoy to the utmost. The Mahone Bay Islands are special places and it is so great that many have been returned to public use through the efforts of this group. Great work MICA.

I ought to start out that I enjoyed reading about the background of the membership involved in this project as many of you I have yet to meet, and look forward to doing so as we return to “normal” life.

I grew up in Dartmouth, and now live in Maders Cove with my wife Grace Mitchell and our nearly two year old daughter, Pearl.

After several years working in Western Canada, we relocated to the South Shore full time. We spend as much time on the water as possible in the summer months throughout the Bay, although our favorite spots include Long Island and the Andrews Island / Whynachts Cove area. We recently sold our Bayfield 29 and are actively on the hunt for another sailboat with a bit more room for Pearl.

I have been following MICA for a number of years and I think that the work that MICA has done, and continues to do to preserve the islands, is important to both conservation and recreation in Mahone Bay. I am excited for the opportunity to be involved and help out any way I can.

In a previous life I was general manager / lead guide for a whitewater rafting company in Canmore, AB, and worked in ski area operations for a number of years, often operating within or near Provincial or National Parks in Alberta and BC. I hope my personal and professional experience in how these areas are managed in Canada, the US, and internationally, can be of some assistance to MICA in future.

My family come from Lunenburg arriving in 1753 from Halifax on the Pearl out of Germany. My father fished lobster and his father captained fishing schooners.

My first visit to the islands in Mahone Bay was in 1958 with my uncle William. He had a boat and boat house in Lunenburg back harbour. He and his friends built two cabins on islands in Mahone Bay. As I grew older my job was to run the boat from Back Harbour to take my uncle to the islands with his friends to the cabins to play cards, fish and other social activities. At this time camping in a tent was not common. I met and worked with the LIPS group once they purchased the group of islands of Snipe, Long, Dry and Chain. Currently I visit these islands often to clean up and explore with my family. We have a huge beach glass, rock and shell collection.

We spend time on many of the islands in Mahone Bay with friends and family. When my children were born my wife and I started to tent on the islands around Mahone Bay. This past week the family completed our week on Shag Island camping making it 33 years in a row we have done this.

My family continue to travel to these islands and spend many happy times exploring and talking to people about MICA and the good work being done by this organization. I am a life member of MICA. I currently have seven grandchildren who love camping on the MICA islands.

I used my uncle’s boat for many years until it died of dry rot. I now have a wooden cape island boat built in 1974 in Oakland by Ernest Langille. My family use this boat for our camping trips. If you see a large tarp set up on Shag stop for a visit.

Goodday family summer vacations have always been spent cruising Mahone Bay. From birth, my three sisters and I were plunked in the cockpit or towed in the tender and shuttled to and from the beaches of Gooseberry, Rafuse, or another one of our favourite picnic spots. We are lucky to now do the same with our children.

The islands of Mahone Bay provide endless opportunity for snorkeling, sailing, surfing and camping adventures. The islands and shoreline are a global treasure. There is no place I’d rather be with loved ones and no place I am prouder to share with visitors. It is an honour to be a steward of Lynch and Snake – two islands with plenty of beauty and intrigue.

The coastline of Nova Scotia has played an extremely important and formative role in my life both personally and professionally. I was raised in a small seaside community outside of Halifax were I spent most of my time swimming from government wharfs, sailing dinghies, camping on nearby islands and exploring the tidal zone. When stuck inside I voraciously read anything maritime related. Particularly captivating to me was, in equal parts, books about Nova Scotia’s rich maritime history or Its diverse seaside ecosystems. I still find both enchanting to this day. As I entered my working years I decided that I was unwilling to give up spending my days on or near the water and so sought an apprenticeship in traditional boatbuilding at the Apprenticeshop of Rockland, Maine. The granite bound coast of Maine did nothing to temper my love for the North Atlantic and upon completion of my apprenticeship, I returned to Nova Scotia and settled in the Mahone Bay Area, determined to build a life around the water. Almost 20 years later, I still work locally in marine trades, building, servicing and restoring wooden boats. When not engaged by work, my wife and I, along with our two children spend a great deal of time on and around the waters of Mahone Bay, enjoying our love and connection to this wild coast. It is my hope that through these experiences, my children will grow up maintaining their sense of ownership and responsibility for the islands, coastlines and ocean around us.

A Lifetime MICA member and active board member since 2010, Martin started his MICA career in November 2004 as a member of the stewardship committee. Following the first year on the board, he became the Stewardships Committee chair for 7 years supporting islands cleanups, signage, promotions and education of the MICA Conservation area. In 2018, he moved to Chair of the Public Relations Committee where he continues to focus on communications, surveys and IT for the group.

A kind and understanding father gave me a 14’ sailboat in about grade 5 followed by a Bluenose (B-9) in grade 7. My friends and I would explore the bay and islands all day long on every day that was remotely fit to sail.

Sandy and I returned from McGill in 1969 and bought several used boats starting with a Paceship Eastwind and ending with our beloved Whitby 42. Once the children started appearing they just kept coming, hence the need for bigger boats. For most of the childrens’ formative years we had a major sailing cruise every summer, ranging from the St John River to Iles de la Madeleine to part way up the Labrador and several trips to the south coast of Newfoundland. Between trips we explored more local territory, especially Mahone Bay.

I was promoted from a local group saving Chester Islands to the MICA Board in about 2012 and am now secretary to the Board. My islands of Lynch and Snake are special to me as they form part of a beautiful necklace around my home town of Chester. How different Chester would be without that necklace!

The islands of Quaker, Lynch and Snake islands were purchased in a block by the Nature Conservancy of Canada from Sir Christopher Ondaatje with significant help from John Risley and MICA.

Quaker was named after Quaker whalers who had to leave Nantucket after the War of Independence when Britain drastically increased the tariff on whale oil imported from the USA. It is not known if they settled Quaker for a short time or looked at it and immediately moved on to Dartmouth where they set up an outrageously successful whale processing industry. If you ever have time in Dartmouth a visit to the Quaker House Museum on Octerloney Street is highly recommended. It’s an original home of one of the Quaker whalers! My childhood memories of Quaker include Chester farmers barging their cattle to and from Quaker each summer. Quaker had a manned lighthouse for years and there are many stories of hair raising trips back and forth by the keepers and their families, some tragic.

Lynch had no trees when I was a child, sort of a mini Quaker. One previous owner also owned the Haddon Hill Hotel and built a small wharf and tea house so her guests could picnic on the island. Sir Christopher Ondaatje had these removed.

Snake is a little known island on the Aspotogan side of Saddle Island. It has a cobble beach with some finer pebbles halfway along the east side. Snake is a good spot to get away from the crowd.

Watch out for the shoal between Saddle and Snake!

In May of 2020, the early days of the pandemic, Craig and his spouse, Carla, had a heart-to-heart chat about living outside Bridgewater, surrounded by a dense pine forest. During wintertime, they could sneak a peak of the LaHave River from one room of the house if the wind was mild, but the ocean was calling. The next decision they made was a logical one: Sell and pack up house for a move to the coast. The little piece of paradise they found had views of the prettiest little cove and its outer islands. Some of the nicest neighbours were quick to tell them about MICA and the importance of its work. A little power boat allowed them to get a bit closer to the beauty of the Mahone Islands, truly appreciating the mandate of MICA. The natural next step was membership and then participation – with Craig to hop onboard to the Board.

Craig has been in the video game industry for the past 20 years, working as Chief Financial Officer and now VP of Finance for a US public company. Prior to that, Craig worked in financial management and public accounting, providing him with a broad scope of experience as a fiduciary throughout his career. Craig’s alma mater is Saint Mary’s University and he obtained the professional designation of CPA, CA in 2006. In his spare time, Craig enjoys the pleasures of walking his dogs, biking, boating, playing video games and trying to keep up with growing grass. Close to his heart: animal protection and conservation of the natural environment.

Having grown up on the South Shore, the coastal environment and its protection has always been near and dear to Carla.  A passion for ecosystem conservation led her to post-secondary studies in ecology and graduate work in oceanography.  Though Carla’s working life took a turn to roles with both the provincial and federal governments – and now the video games industry – her leisure time is spent by the shore, enjoying the coves and Islands of Mahone Bay.

A professional life in operations management, Carla is experienced in the investigation and fulfillment of organizational needs, adept at learning new skills in the application of technology.  When she’s not working, you’ll find Carla in the company of her family (and fur family), enjoying fresh air and lots of good books.

I have been around the Mahone Bay islands as far back as I remember starting in the mid 1950s. My family has a cottage on Second Peninsula opposite Covey Island that we enjoyed in the summers since 1957.

Things have changed. Loye Island was locally known as Varlands and Covey Island as Meisners back then and a sighting of a seal was a rare occurrence.

The islands and shorelines have changed as well since then with erosion, sea water rise, development on some islands and on the shoreline and increased activity on the water. Hobsons Nose was a substantial island back then but now is nothing but a rockpile.

The usage of the islands has escalated in recent years with many more pleasure boats around the bay. In addition, life on the bottom has changed with once abundant species like sea urchins, flatfish, sculpins, rockfish, skates, sand dollars, red and white jellyfish, and mussels essentially disappearing. Once scarce, seals and green crab are now plentiful. The bay has certainly changed over the years.

The Mahone Islands Conservation Area is very important to protect this wonderful resource for current and future generations. My wife Janet and I are both pleased to have been involved with the organization since its beginnings with me as a founding MICA Director.

Janet has enjoyed the islands with me since the late 1960s and our family, including our two daughters, has enjoyed many of the Mahone Bay islands and especially Masons Island (both big cove and northern point) since the mid 1980s as a favourite for a picnic and a swim even though the voyage out and back from Mahone Bay was an event in the small, slow, open boats we used to have. We are now proud to share this wonderful legacy with our grandson.

Recent inspections show our islands are being very well respected by users. THANK YOU.

Both Janet and I feel that the work of MICA is very important. We value the conservation of the islands, giving many people the opportunity to enjoy them in their natural state.

Anne and I moved to Nova Scotia about 16 years ago following stays in Kingston, Ottawa, Montreal and Oakville/Toronto.

I grew up on the East coast of England and was always attracted to the sea and boats, hence why we chose Nova Scotia as a place to retire.

Thanks to its many islands, Mahone Bay offers one of the most attractive sailing and boating areas in the world. It followed that I became a willing volunteer to help MICA preserve this beautiful area for all to enjoy. Over the past several years I have been the Stewardship Chair and presently the Association Vice Chair. This has involved numerous interactions with municipal and provincial governments.

The journey continues with the support of many.