Parish of Sackville and NB Nature Trust strike innovative and historic accord
by Ana Watts
The Parish of Sackville, owners of Grindstone Island, and the Nature Trust of New Brunswick became partners in the preservation and conservation of the 
Shepody Bay island on Oct. 31. The official announcement and the creation of the Grindstone Island Nature Preserve took place at the Cape Enrage Nature Preserve.
“After a lot of consideration, we have taken the view that ecological stewardship goes hand in hand with the other forms of stewardship perhaps more usually associated with the church,” said Robert Summerby-Murray, a member of both the Parish of Sackville and the Nature Trust. “Indeed, in our view, ecological stewardship brings with it a responsibility to manage, to be active stewards in the face of the various development pressures affecting the ecology of the upper Bay of Fundy.”
The Parish of Sackville, owners of Grindstone Island, and the Nature Trust of New Brunswick became partners in the preservation and conservation of the Shepody Bay island on Oct. 31. The official announcement and the creation of the Grindstone Island Nature Preserve took place at the Cape Enrage Nature Preserve.
“After a lot of consideration, we have taken the view that ecological stewardship goes hand in hand with the other forms of stewardship perhaps more usually associated with the church,” said Robert Summerby-Murray, a member of both the Parish of Sackville and the Nature Trust. “Indeed, in our view, ecological stewardship brings with it a responsibility to manage, to be active stewards in the face of the various development pressures affecting the ecology of the upper Bay of Fundy.”
The parish is also keenly aware of the significant educational opportunities afforded by the creation of the nature preserve. “In this way, we see our stewardship contributing to a learning focus on environmental issues,” continued Dr. Summerby-Murray. “Creating the preserve is an obvious statement in itself but we intend that the preserve will also provide opportunities for research and improved ecological understanding. Much of this will come from enhanced environmental monitoring, but we hope to put in place programs that will have direct educational value for the youth of the Diocese of Fredericton.”
The island was named for the industrial grindstone quarrying of fine sandstone done on the island in the 19th century. The fruits of that labour were shipped all over New Brunswick as well as to Boston and New York. A significant amount of stone was shipped up the St. John River to Fredericton where it was used in several buildings, including Christ Church Cathedral.
While there are Canadian examples of churches selling property to environmental organizations, the Sackville/Nature Trust partnership is believed to be the first such agreement for an Anglican church as well as the first agreement to include a third party for long-term environmental monitoring of a church’s property.
“From the beginning of our negotiations with the nature trust, the Parish of Sackville was motivated by the concept of stewardship,” said the Rev. Canon Kevin Stockall, rector. “The parish took the view that stewardship takes many forms and that we are called to be active in environmental preservation as well as the pastoral, social justice and spiritual work with which the church is more frequently associated.”
During the announcement in October Dr. Summerby-Murray congratulated the Nature Trust for its perseverance, the Parish of Sackville for its faith and commitment, and the Diocese of Fredericton for taking the national lead in this form of environmental stewardship. “To draw upon the words of local historian Helen Petchey,” he said, “all three parties have worked hard to ensure that Grindstone Island remains the Sentinel of the Bay for generations to come”.
He also credited the Government of Canada for its financial support through its Habitat Stewardship Program.
While the agreement prohibits any use of the land that will significantly impair or interfere with conservation values or the interests of the land, people are still welcome to visit the island that sits less than a kilometer off Mary’s Point and explore its 1.6 hectares on foot.
In 1823, King George IV presented the island, as a gift, to Sainte Anne’s Church in Sackville. There is a copy of the deed in the church. Instead of deeding it over to the Nature Trust in its recent negotiations, the parish retained ownership, signed a 99-year lease agreement and negotiated a co-management plan. The Nature Trust hopes this creative partnership may lead other private and industrial property owners to negotiate similar agreements.
Its location in Shepody Bay makes Grindstone Island part of a recognized Wetland of International Importance in the upper Bay of Fundy, as well as part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. The east and west sides of the island are covered by hardwood ridges with mature red spruce growing in between. The edges of the island are mostly sandstone cliffs containing fossilized remains of palms and ferns, similar to those found at Joggins, Nova Scotia.
Peregrine falcons, great blue herons, double-crested cormorants, greater black-backed gulls, and herring gulls nest on the island. Its great blue heron colony, the second largest in New Brunswick, has grown substantially in recent decades. The island is also a critical site for waterfowl. Black ducks and common eiders use the surrounding intertidal areas for foraging and some breed on the island at the heart of a region recognized as a critical migratory stopover. Each fall about three-quarters of the world's semipalmated sandpipers — between one and 2.5 million birds — stop to feed on their migration.
