at Trout Point Lodge in the Tobeatic Wilderness Area

Southern Nova Scotia Biosphere Reserve

Canoe the Tusket River, hike into old-growth stands of hardwood and pine, see endangered flowers, climb Billy's Hill or trek along the Napier River, keep on the lookout for rare birds, learn about wild foods, or kayak up the Napier and around Billy's Island from the rustic and elegant Great Lodge at Trout Point. For a map of the massive Tobeatic protected area, click here. At 104,000 hectares, the Tobeatic Wilderness Area in southwestern Nova Scotia is the largest protected wilderness in the Maritimes.

The Lodge is located near East Kemptville, off of Highway 203, at the confluence of the Napier and Tusket Rivers, and encompasses two small lakes and over 200 acres of private protected land. Surrounding the Lodge is a vast and pristine wilderness, now thankfully protected by legislation.

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For important further information on the Tobeatic and the Tusket River Basin, please go to the links below:

TROUT POINT LODGE

TOBEATIC WILDERNESS COMMITTEE

TUSKET RIVER BASIN INITIATIVE

TUSKET RIVER ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ASSOCIATION

Trout Point Lodge is committed to appropriate use of these natural resources. No motorized vehicles or watercraft are allowed in the Tobeatic or on Lodge land. No hunting is allowed. In 2001, Trout Point will be providing regular maintenance of trails leading into the protected area that provides kilometers of hiking, biking, and nature enjoyment.

The Lodge provides the following facilities for Guests and Members:

Mountain Bikes, Canoes, Kayaks, Paddle Boats, Trail Maps, Groomed Nature Trails, Occasional Wild Food Forays and Guided Nature Trips

In addition, Trout Point and La Ferme d'Acadie have formed a partnership to provide those interested with access to hundred of acres of pristine Chebogue Salt Marsh, on the coast near Yarmouth. The Chebogue Salt Marsh is the largest in Nova Scotia and attracts thousands of migratory birds each year. It is also a rich and diverse inter-tidal ecosystem. (See picture at the bottom of this page).

The following description of the Lodge ecosystem is provided by the Tusket River and Basin Project:

The geology and vegetative features of the main Tusket River extend for short distances into the eastern portion of the watershed. However, the upper reaches of three branch rivers (East Branch, Cold Stream and Quinan) drain a dramatically different landscape. Two secondary branches, the Napier and the Muskpauk, are also part of this eastern drainage.

The upper East Branch and the Napier River drain an extensive elevated plateau (400 + feet) of "Granite Barrens". As the name implies, the bedrock is granite with a thin cover of loose, stony granite till. The landscape surface has no drumlins and is strewn with large granite boulders. Large areas of exposed bedrock can be found. Poor drainage has created many streams that flow between shallow irregular lakes, bogs, swamps and swales. On the border of the watershed, some lakes have beaches of white granite sand. The glaciers have formed long prominent eskers which are said to be the longest in the Maritimes.

This land is part of the Tobeatic wilderness area. This protected area (1000 square kilometres / 386 square miles) is the only remaining wilderness in Nova Scotia. The head waters of the East Branch are but a canoe portage away from the Shelburne River, the most remote wilderness river in Nova Scotia. This "Canadian Heritage River" links the Tusket watershed with Kejimkujik National Park.

The granite soils present a fascinating contrast in vegetation composition. Not only do they produce some of the most barren lands in the region, but they also support some of the most significant old forest stands. Along the river valleys, lake shores and islands, virgin and old growth stands of red pine, white pine and hemlock are exceptionally well developed. The barrens and semi-barrens (brushland) have a sparse scrub growth of white pine, black spruce, wire birch, aspen, red maple and red oak. Ground vegetation is dominated by a dense cover of shrubs such as huckleberry, holly, sheep laurel, viburnum and alder. On boggy sites, black spruce, red maple and larch are common.

The causes of barrens include deep repeated burns; excessive soil leaching causing low fertility; iron pans, excessive boulders and dense shrubs preventing tree growth.

The upper reaches of the Cold Stream and the Quinan River drain an extensive area of barrens and semi-barrens with a different geological foundation of quartzite, shale and schists. These barrens are mostly the result of repeated burning. The organic matter loss to fire has severely reduced the ability of soil to support good forest growth. The area features a few scattered drumlins and eskers with numerous lakes and a relatively unimpeded drainage.

The natural vegetation appears to have been white pine and red oak, but many hills only support scattered black spruce and low shrubs such as blueberry, sheep laurel and huckleberry. Ridges with deeper soils still support white pine and red oak with red maple and white birch. Low sites grow black spruce, balsam fir, larch and red maple. The shorelines and islands of Great Barren Lake and Quinan Lake still display old growth stands of red oak and mixed woods. This area is on the edge of a small isolated exposure of granite soils and boulders.

The Muskpauk tributary drains an area that is more typical of the coastline geology with ridges, drumlins and eskers of schist, slate or quartzite. Large sphagnum (peat) bogs have developed here with forest vegetation and barrens as described above.

 Overview of Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve (SNBR)

The Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve (SNBR), comprises a large portion of terrestrial and coastal southwestern Nova Scotia, a province situated on Canada's Atlantic and Bay of Fundy coast.  (Please click on map to enlarge.)

The Biosphere Reserve represents coastal and inland ecosystems and encourages sustainable practices for the core area, buffer and transition zones (to varying degrees). The core protected areas represent five major Nova Scotian landscapes including extensive wildlands and a Canadian Heritage River (the Mersey River), which exist in a-near-pristine condition with natural ecosystem structure, processes and functions intact. 

 The protected areas also preserve the integrity of rare, unique, and outstanding examples of floral and faunal associations not found anywhere else in the country.  These are the disjunct Atlantic Coastal Plain flora and fauna that includes 11 nationally-listed species at risk, and several other focal species that are threatened to varying degrees including populations of mainland (native) moose, pine marten, southern flying squirrel and Blanding's turtle.

The biosphere reserve will help preserve the integrity of cultural resources and heritage in the region. The most significant of these cultural heritage resources is the history of First Nations land stewardship. There is a vital history of Mi'kmaq use of the lands and waters of the area for travel, sustenance, medicine, trade and survival. Several significant archaeological  sites are preserved throughout the region. These ancient sites include encampments, travel routes, village sites, fishing grounds and petroglyphs. In 2000 Kejimkujik National Park was commemorated as a National Historic Site celebrating its status as a Mi'kmaq cultural landscape.

Tobeatic Wilderness Area

103,780 hectares; Landscape representation - Shelburne River Plain; Roseway River Glacial Plain; Tusket River Drumlins; South Mountain Rolling Plain; Fisher Lake drumlins

Spanning parts of 5 counties, the Tobeatic Wilderness Area is the largest remaining wild area in the Maritimes. The region is characterized by unique barren and semi-barren landscapes with outstanding undisturbed glacial landforms including esker fields, moraines, kettles and outwash plains. It protects remote and undisturbed wildlife habitat, protects expansive wetlands, pockets of old-growth pine and hemlock forest, and the headwaters of 9 major river systems flowing to both the Atlantic and Fundy coasts. Taken together with the neighbouring Kejimukjik National Park and Historic Site the Tobeatic Wilderness Area forms the central core of an expansive protected landscape within interior southwestern Nova Scotia.

The Tobeatic Wilderness Area makes a significant contribution to the protection of biodiversity in Nova Scotia. It is also a refuge for wildlife, and has been managed to achieve these purposes since a portion was designated a Game Sanctuary in 1927, and later a Wildlife Management Area in 1968. Today the Tobeatic Wilderness Area continues to provide protection for native biodiversity, with undisturbed wildlife habitat for many species, including the largest herd of remnant native Nova Scotia moose, healthy and abundant black bear, and a re-introduced population of American marten. Within the Tobeatic lie the spectacular forests of old-growth pine and hemlock found at Sporting Lake Nature Reserve and Silvery Lake (IBP site), and outstanding examples of fire barrens at the Shelburne Barrens (IBP site).

The Tobeatic is interconnected by lakes, streams and rivers, offering outstanding wilderness canoeing, camping and hiking. It is a storied region of the province known best for its moose herd, trout streams, and rugged canoe routes through rocky lakes and wild rivers. These routes, first traveled by Mi'kmaq, supported a world-class "sportman's" guiding tradition through the late 19th and early 20th century. The traditions of hunting, fishing, trapping and guiding are alive today, with the travel ways of the Tobeatic frequented by local recreational enthusiasts, youth organizations, and professional outfitters alike.

The Tobeatic Management Planning Exercise has been initiated in partnership with key local community, government, industry, conservation and recreation interests to develop a comprehensive management plan for the Wilderness Area.