St. Peters Harbour and Lake Run
St. Peters Harbour and Lake Run Nature Reserve (Photo by Jenna Rachelle)
NCC is the guardian of beautiful St. Peters Harbour and Lake Run Nature Reserve, on the north shore of Prince Edward Island.
This protected area consists of properties on either side of the channel, known locally as the Lake Run, which flows from St. Peters Lake to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. West of the Lake Run and adjacent to Lakeside Beach is 24-hectares of dune, marsh and forest that have been cared for by NCC since 2005. This was the first property to be protected and managed by NCC on PEI. To the east of the Lake Run toward St. Peters Harbour is a 14-hectare site, which was a gift to NCC in 2012 by a PEI family in memory of their late brother, Errol A. MacEwen. In 2014, an additional 11-hectare property was donated by the estate of Clarence and Alice McEwen.
St. Peters Harbour and Lake Run feature PEI’s iconic sand dunes, which border these beaches and help buffer the shoreline and surrounding community from intense weather events. This nature reserve is within the Canavoy and Adjacent Beaches Important Bird Area (IBA), with many migratory shorebirds and species at risk relying on these shorelines each year. The beach alongside the Lake Run Nature Reserve is a safe nesting site for endangered piping plover. This protected land is also home to osprey, bald eagle, black-bellied plover and sanderling. Other bird species found here include semipalmated plover, greater yellowlegs, ruddy turnstone and semipalmated sandpiper.
In addition to protecting habitat for these bird species and supporting thriving ecosystems, this nature reserve is accessible to the public to enjoy spectacular wildlife viewing and peaceful walks on the beach. As the marram grass holding the sand dunes together is very sensitive to footprints and can easily be worn away, people and pets are not permitted on the dunes.
Learn more
To learn more about the NCC’s work on Prince Edward Island and how you can contribute, please contact us at supporter.services@natureconservancy.ca.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities on this nature reserve and others across Prince Edward Island, please visit our Get Involved page or contact Atlantic.Volunteers@natureconservancy.ca.
