{"id":9533,"date":"2016-04-08T09:02:49","date_gmt":"2016-04-08T13:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.canadahelps.org\/?p=9533"},"modified":"2024-11-01T10:37:38","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T14:37:38","slug":"improving-the-environmental-health-of-prince-edward-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.canadahelps.org\/en\/giving-life\/connecting-with-charities\/improving-the-environmental-health-of-prince-edward-island\/","title":{"rendered":"Improving the Environmental Health of Prince Edward Island"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Exploring<\/p>\n

Charity Spotlight: This blog post was provided by Gary Schneider and Shannon Hartigan<\/span>\u00a0from The Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island, as part of our ongoing charity spotlight series.<\/em><\/p>\n

Prince Edward Island was once home to ancient hemlock and white pine trees shading deep freshwater streams flowing to the sea.<\/strong>\u00a0 Though black bears and lynx no longer ramble through our woodlands, they\u2019re still stunning examples of native Acadian forests in pockets across the province. Healthy Acadian forests are profoundly diverse and unique ecosystems, with a mixture of tree species such as sugar maple, yellow birch and hemlock that can live up to 450 years.\u00a0 They are rich in wildlife, from the great horned owl to the red-backed salamander.\u00a0 These forests clean air and water, store carbon, provide excellent wildlife habitat and offer a myriad of recreational opportunities.<\/p>\n

It is an unfortunate reality, however, that the Acadian forest continues to be under threat from land use practices. The World Wildlife Fund lists it as one of six endangered forest habitats in North America, and because of that, we are now taking action to restore our forests.<\/p>\n

The Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island (ECO-PEI) is a community-based charitable organization working on issues that are important to Islanders and everyone who loves the province.\u00a0 Since 1989, we have worked to maintain and improve the health of our environment, from improving the food we eat to the air we breathe.\u00a0 One of our main activities has been facilitating the award-winning Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project helping save our Acadian Forests, which this year is 25 years old.<\/p>\n

A Forest Under Threat<\/h2>\n

From very humble beginnings, the Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project<\/a><\/strong> has become a leader in environmental education, forest restoration, native plant propagation and wildlife enhancement. We manage 800 hectares of public forest land in partnership with the provincial government and offer a wide variety of educational experiences \u2013 everything from school visits and plantings, to owl prowls and children\u2019s camps. We are now celebrating our birthday with plantings throughout the year that are open to the public and will involve Islanders of all ages.<\/p>\n

To help save our Acadian forests, our Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project has launched its \u2018Restore an Acre\u2019 campaign, which is focused on restoring acres of public forest land to benefit Islanders for generations to come. The campaign focuses on restoration work, from adding rare species of native trees, shrubs, wildflowers and ferns, to diversifying existing conifer plantations. We will also offer tours of the area throughout the year and opportunities for volunteers to help plant and prune and get to know these woodlands.<\/p>\n