Masons Island (northern end)

In partnership with:

This was the partnered acquisition with the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg (MODL). MODL already owned the section of the island directly to the south so MICA approached them as a logical acquisition partner. The proposed acquisition model would be similar to previous projects with the province – ie MODL would be the major funding partner in exchange for property title and MICA’s interests would be secured by a typical Stewardship Agreement.  At the time, this part of the island didn’t have high usage and in fact there was very much less activity on the bay overall then as now however MICA thought this was a very strategic acquisition for the future and support the goals of acquiring the lands immediately to the south of the MODL property.  This would then secure the complete north half of the island which would encompass  the prime recreational areas, for conservation and public use.  After presentations to the MOFDL council, agreements were reached and the property was acquired in January 2008.

As one of the ‘sand islands’ this end of Masons Island of about 8 acres is largely comprised of sand. It is a great spot for anchoring with protection from the traditional southerly winds and with a very nice beach for swimming and picnicking. The fragile sand dunes above the normal high watermark are impacted by storms and seem to have a changing profile every year.  We believe this end of Masons is building thanks to the significant erosion on the south facing bluff on the other end of the island. This part of Masons has a lot of summer activity, and we are very pleased that people seem to stay off the delicate dunes.