Gold River

Our property on the gold River was gifted in 2015 by Rudy Haase and the Chester Educational Foundation. Rudy’s desire was to see the land retained in its natural state, while allowing for low impact recreation opportunities. Two contiguous properties total 75 acres and extend 1100m from Beech Hill Road to the Gold River. Over this span, the slope drops from 110m at the road to 40m at the river (northeastern aspect) which gives an average slope of 6.3%. However, it is not uniform and is rather comprised of several undulations and ridges. This results in intermittent high ground with good drainage; and low, poorly drained areas. The river is 15-55m wide across the span of our property and is generally a faster-flowing riffle between sections of still water. The forest is a stand of mixed age and species.

The property contains evidence of past recreational uses. A hunting blind sits near a small clearing on the north edge of the land. A school bus was, presumably, driven to its final resting place on a small point of land by the river to serve as a camper. There is also a double track (ATV) path that follows the shoreline and enters/exits the property on the north and south ends. We believe that this may be the legacy of traditional use and migration by the Mi’kmaw. More inquiry is required.

Since acquisition we have hosted several public guided hikes on the land. To support our future vision, we hosted a team of NSCC resource students who conducted an ecological survey of the flora that have traditional medicinal uses and importance for the Mi’kmaw.

The extraction of forest products is another traditional use. The property to the north has an active woodlot. There is one haul road, now deeply rutted, that bisects the property. Trees have been cut on, or just off, the property for boat knees.

Both property lines have been recently surveyed and re-blazed. There is a small driveway off Beech Hill road, and a path from this that leads to the haul road.

Two small residential properties are inset into the road front side of our land.

From our property, the Gold River flows 22km from New Ross, and then 10km to the outlet into Mahone Bay. Across the river are crown lands that connect to Henry Lake and Forest Heights School, 6.5km away by woods road.

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