Neguac

Neguac Nature Reserve, NB (Photo by NCC)

Thanks to generous land donations by two families, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has protected two sites in Neguac, located about 40 kilometres north of Miramichi, New Brunswick.

Neguac at a glance

Situated at the end of Malpec Road, this property contains a long low–lying barrier dune spit with broad sandy flats that are frequently breached by storms. It also contains a coastal bog and a forest next to a small estuary where a tidal creek encounters the shores of Neguac Bay.

The Neguac dune is approximately 10 kilometres. A small sand island called Neguac North is another two kilometres long. Due to frequent washouts, the spit is often more a series of barrier islands with wide beach fronts.

Conservation values

NCC identified the Neguac Reserve as a priority for conservation mainly because of its sandspit, which is an Important Bird Area (IBA) called the “Neguac Sandspit.” Many of the sand dunes at the Neguac Sandspit are wider than 500 metres at some points, making it the broadest dune system in the Canadian Maritimes.

This sandspit provides significant nesting habitat for the piping plover. Historically, more than 3,000 common terns nested on the Neguac Bar.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada has targeted this area for conservation also because of its coastal bogs. Coastal bogs are significant for many species and are an important part of New Brunswick's landscape.

Acadian Peninsula bogs are dominated by sphagnum mosses, which are very vulnerable to commercial harvesting.

The dominant plants on this property include typical coastal bog species such as rhodora and sphagnum mosses.