Things you see along the way...Fundy National Park

While attending meetings in Fundy National Park a couple of weeks ago, Steve and I had our camera along to capture some of the sights. I wish I had more time that day to ramble on some of the hiking trails. However, Steve did get out and about and got some really good pics. The wildlife that made an appearance included a bald eagle near Herring Cove (you'll see him/her flying if you look closely at the middle photo), several deer on the way to Dickson Falls, and a tadpole at Bennett Lake.

While I was in a workshop talking with park managers from across Canada about how to manage ecological integrity in parks, Steve was gathering images that will hopefully help us communicate with the public about the many values of parks.

There has been some talk of late about the need to better conserve the habitats and watersheds along the western boundary of Fundy National Park. Options include expanding the boundary of the national park to include more of the park's watersheds, or having the provincial government establish a protected natural area along the border with Fundy. Either way, ecologists are telling us we need to do a better job of conserving the nature around Fundy, lest it become an island in a sea of developed lands. While this is not new - conservationists have been talking for over 30 years about how Fundy is too small to do the best job for nature conservation - it is time that we all - NGOs, provincial and federal governments, communities near Fundy - have a conversation about how to solve this problem.

A Fundy National Park view (top); the same view with the fog rolling in a few hours later (bottom). Steve Reid photos.

Where is the best viewscape in New Brunswick?

Last summer, my partner, a friend and I discovered one of the best views of New Brunswick wilderness. Funnily, it's from a scenic lookout in Ste-Alexis-de-Matapédia, just across the NB border in Quebec. We drove a winding road, past horses in fields and other countryside sights. Once at the lookout, we were astonished by the spectacular views of the Restigouche River and the wild forests that line the valley in both Quebec and New Brunswick.

I couldn't believe how many times we had been up to the Restigouche River area and still hadn't found this gem of a lookout.

It solidified to me how important it is to the future of northern New Brunswick's tourism economy and natural environment that we protect this world-class landscape and keep it as wild as possible. There is still so much ecotourism opportunity that has yet to be tapped along the Restigouche.

This little trek made me wonder how many other lookouts we've yet to discover. How many views are being lovingly tended by locals to the best of their capacity, but don't become known to the broader public who would appreciate them? I would love to hear from people about other natural viewscapes we could explore on future excursions around New Brunswick.